Family Ties
by Yel Ashaya
Summary: Now Data has two girls in his life: his daughter, Lal, and an ensign who's been giving them the eye for some time. Can he stretch the limits of his humanity; learn to love them both and prioritise, or will it be too much for him and will someone end up getting hurt? Please review. Thank you. :) Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to the late Gene Roddenberry.
1. Confusion

Chapter 1 (1,435 words)

Data didn't know what was wrong with him. He was lonely. At least, that was what he thought it was. He knew that he, himself, couldn't actually really feel lonely, so to speak. Nevertheless, he was acting different. Nothing in particular was happening but he just had an inkling that something was not quite right.

At present, he was in engineering. "Geordi?" He asked his closest friend.

The engineer turned around and placed his PADD on top of the engineering console. "Yeah, Data?" He asked. He want really paying as much attention as he thought he should be. Only a week ago the Enterprise, despite being the best ship that Starfleet had to offer, had suffered a warp core breach. Captain Picard had given Geordi the task of trying to make the warp core a little safer.

The golden skinned android walked over to the other engineer and stood in front of him, whilst partially leaning against a console. "I do not know what it is that you should like me to do," Data stated bluntly and a little perplexedly.

Geordi sighed and rubbed his forehead a little. He then said, in an authoritative yet sympathetic tone of voice, "Oh, sorry Data. I thought I told you."

Data frowned and his eyes went blank and then said, "My memory banks do not contain any record of you saying such a thing."

Geordi apologised and then picked his PADD back up. "Yeah, now I remember," he replied. He then looked over at Data and he saw that the confused android still hadn't had his question answered. He then set about answering him, "I just wanted you to keep an eye on that console over..." He turned around to point to it "...there."

Data nodded and then walked over to the console which Geordi had pointed out to him. He sat down in the chair and then orders the computer to initiate a simple diagnostic of the Enterprise's systems.

Geordi looked over at his friend and he couldn't help but think of how weirdly Data had been acting lately. He finished what he was doing and then proceeded to where Data was. He bent down a little so that he could speak to Data less awkwardly and then asked him something, "Data?"

The android lifted his head up and then looked up at his friend, "Yes, Geordi?"

"I'm... not quite sure how to put this, but..." He shrugged his head a little and then wiped his forehead.

Data could see that his friend was getting a little uncomfortable so he made an attempt to try and make it a little easier for Geordi. So, he said, "I cannot feel offence, Geordi."

"I know that Data. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that I've noticed that you've been acting..." He paused, so that he could find the right thing to say. "...strangely."

Data raised an eyebrow, confusedly, "In what way?"

"It's just that, well... you've been asking for more time off of your shifts and you're always in your quarters," Geordi observed.

"I do apologise if it has caused you any disturbance," Data said rather too apologetically.

Geordi shook his head and then smiled, "It's all right. But, I guess I'm just a little worried, that's all."

"I assure you Geordi, there is nothing the matter with me."

"Okay..." Geordi trailed off at the end of the word. He was still not entirely sure of what his friend was doing. "Any way, I'm gonna go check on the impulse drive and see if its all in good working order," he stated before doing just that.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the starship Enterprise, Picard and Riker were going over the recent events. One particular topic which had crossed both of their minds was the strange behaviour of their fellow officer, lieutenant commander Data. They too, like Geordi had noticed Data's seemingly unorthodox behaviour.

"What was all that about?" Commander Riker pondered rather loudly. He thought that he had said it to himself, but he hadn't.

Captain Picard, as he was sat barely a metre away from the first officer, had heard this statement being uttered. "Sorry? What was that, Number One?"

Riker shook his head, "Sorry, captain, I was just thinking of when Data asked yesterday if he could have his shift shortened."

Picard rubbed his chin, musing over what Riker had just said. "It was unusual, to say the least." He then turned his attention to the woman next to him, "Deanna, has Mr Data come to see you recently?"

She thought for a little while and then said in response, "No, I don't think so." She paused and frowned, before asking, slightly alarmed, "Why? Is there something the matter?"

Picard shook his head, "No, not at all. We're just simply curious because Mr Data has been acting out of character recently."

"Oh god," Riker exclaimed.

This caused the captain to look over at him, "What is it, Number One?"

"I just had a thought... What if, the reason why Data is acting weirdly is because it's not really Data?"

Deanna frowned, "Then, who do you suppose it is?"

"It's simple," he replied, "its Lore."

"No, I'm glad to say that's not possible," Picard answered.

"Oh?" Deanna cocked her head to one side and leant forward, so that she was closer to the conversation.

Picard turned his head to face the ship's counsellor. "Well," he began in a rather blunt tone of voice, "Lore has a slightly different neural net to Mr Data, our ship would have noticed if anything was the matter."

Deanna nodded and she looked over at Riker who was sat there with his arms folded tightly. He didn't look all that convinced with Picard's answer. Nonetheless he nodded in agreement, "I suppose so. But," he stopped and then started to talk again, "we still don't know why Data is acting so weirdly. It's like he's trying to hide something from us."

Picard pondered the commander's strange statement. "Yes, it rather does, doesn't it?" He asked.

Deanna shrugged and looked the captain in the eye, firmly, "That's all very well and good, but Data can't lie." Suddenly, Deanna felt herself becoming rather unsure with her response, and then added, "Can he?"

Picard sighed a little wearily and replied, "Anyway," he said, ignoring Deanna's question, "I don't think we should be discussing this behind Mr Data's back."

Riker stepped in, saying, "But, captain? What if something is wrong with Data?" He was obviously concerned about the welfare of his fellow android officer but, all the same, he was really quite considerably curious about what precisely was happening. He had only been serving with Data for around five years, but that was quite a long time to get to know someone. And, in all that time, he had never known Data to be acting the way he was.

Picard frowned, as he was unsure as to whether or not Riker's concern was genuine. Nonetheless, he decided to answer his second in command. "If there is something wrong with Mr Data, then I'm sure if it is that important, he will tell us. He saw the commander was about to open his mouth, in an effort to try and say something else, but Picard waved off his interruption, saying, "Regardless, if you feel there is something you would wish to flag up, then I will consider a staff meeting.

Riker frowned, seemingly unimpressed with his captain's offer, "But..."

"No, Number One," Picard said decisively and finally, "I have already said so." Picard then finished his speech with a definitive crossing of his arms and he leant back into the comfortable captain's chair which was situated in the centre of the USS Enterprise's bridge.

Riker shrugged and then sat back in his chair as well and decided to speak again, "Did we ever reach an agreement with the residents of…" he trailed off, trying to think of what the name of that planet was. He had heard of so many and had been to many, sometimes it was quite hard to keep track of them all. He then continued his question "…Minos IV?"

Picard cast his gaze over at Riker and replied, "Yes, we did. You were in charge of the away team that was responsible for the whole affair," he pointed out.

Riker suddenly began to feel a little embarrassed. "Oh, now I remember." He looked over at Deanna, who was sat on the other side of captain Picard, as usual, and he saw a faint flicker of a smile creep across her face.


	2. Sleep

Chapter 2 (1,364 words)

Geordi La Forge had had rather a long day in engineering. In fact, he had never known a day on the Enterprise to seem so long. He only wanted one thing right now, and that was sleep. He had been working non-stop for at least twelve hours, and he was incredibly tired. It hadn't even been the captain's orders that he should work as much as he had been doing recently, it was his own idea, and, he thought, a very stupid one at that. He was making his way back from engineering and it was at times like these that he was so grateful his quarters went that far away. It only took him a few moments and, before he knew it, he was in his personal quarters, and he could finally get some rest.

But, he knew he had spoken too soon. As soon as he had walked into his quiet, peaceful quarters, he heard a sound which he knew was the door chiming. Half of him wanted to just simply ignore it, but he knew that he couldn't do that. It might be something of high importance. And so, he rather half-heartedly spoke, "Come in."

The computer obeyed his command and the door then promptly slid open. On the other side, was Data. Geordi didn't really expect his android friend to be visiting so late. So, he expressed his surprise, "Data? What are you doing here?" He asked, rather too loudly.

Data blinked and then stoically and rather shyly replied, "I have come to ask for your assistance."

Geordi said nothing but just stared at his friend blankly. He then quickly gathered his thoughts and said in response, in a weary tone of voice, "Why? What for?"

Data shuffled forward a little so that he was actually in Geordi's quarters and was no longer standing like a spare part rather awkwardly on the doorstep. "It is of a…" he paused, thinking of something to say "…personal nature." He then looked down at the floor, with a blank expression on his golden face.

Geordi didn't really have any idea as to what to say in response to this confused question. How could Data possible have something to ask him that was of a 'personal nature'? But, the android was his friend, and so he asked, rubbing his forehead a little, "What is it, Data?"

For the rather long time period in which Geordi had been trying to think of what to say in response to his statement, Data must have been attempting to try and work out what he, himself, was going to say next, because he looked his commander straight in the eye and said in a bland tone of voice, "Do you remember Lal?"

Geordi failed to recognise what Data had said straight away. He was honestly too tired to be thinking too hard now. Then, suddenly, he remembered what 'Lal' was or rather, who 'Lal' was. She was Data's 'daughter'. Geordi stood there open mouthed and was simply astounded and rather confused. "What?"

Data seemed to be examining his friend, before replying with one word, "Lal."

The chief engineer can't have been too happy with Data's response, but he exclaimed in return, "Lal?"

Data simply nodded and replied in his trademark tone of voice, "Yes."

"But, I thought Lal was, "Geordi paused, thinking he should be a little sensitive regarding how exactly he was phrase the next part of his sentence, "…dead."

Data stood there still for a short while but then he answered, "Yes, she still is 'dead'. However, I have been considering this for quite some time and I think I would be appropriate to try and reconstruct her positronic matrix."

Geordi La Forge was, for lack of a better word, dumbfounded. He had thought Data had learned his lesson. Although Data wasn't upset when Lal had died; he couldn't be upset, Geordi could tell that he wasn't really all that right either. "It's only been two years, Data," he said, "that's not that much time."

Data nodded, taking in and considering his friend's concerned words. "I understand that Geordi, but I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in this situation."

Geordi looked at him and sighed, before asking, "May I ask, what are the advantages?" He couldn't think of any himself.

Data replied simply, "Lal will live."

Then, Geordi knew what the other outcome was. "So, the disadvantage is that Lal will die."

Seemingly unperturbed by this rather personal and emotional statement, Data just nodded in response.

However, the true nature of why Data had decided to visit Geordi was yet to be known. "Data? What is it you want me to do?" Geordi asked.

"For the past two point three seven years, I have kept Lal's body in suspended animation, in case any such time as now should arise."

Geordi waved his hand in a sort of smooth, circular motion, beckoning Data to continue, "So?" He asked.

"I request your assistance in reconfiguring her neural net."

Geordi was lost for words. He didn't know how exactly to respond. "Data, you've got to be kidding," he said, but then he saw how serious the expression on Data's face was and he quickly decided that Data had indeed meant what he had said. "The last time, Lal's systems failed. There was too much stress, how can you be sure that won't happen again?"

"I cannot, Geordi," Data said simply, "however, I can attempt to employ something which I have been testing in my frequent games of poker."

"And what is that?"

"Calculated risk."

Geordi didn't particularly like what he was hearing. "Look, Data, playing poker and resurrecting your daughter are two different things. I don't want to see you get hurt again, if this thing doesn't work."

"I cannot feel offence or sadness, or anything like that, Geordi, I will feel nothing."

"That may be, Data, but that's not really my point. What I mean is that, although you can't feel emotions, you do care about people don't you?"

Data stared blankly, as if he had momentarily been deactivated or something, but then his yellow eyes refocused and he answered his friend's enquiry. "I am able to feel some degree of concern for the welfare of others."

Geordi realised he wasn't really getting through to Data quite in the way that he would have like. "Look," he said firmly, "when Tasha died, you 'felt' something, didn't you?"

"I did not feel anything, Geordi, because I simply cannot. I was concerned about her, because she was… special to me. I had become accustomed to her presence and it was… strange when she was no longer present."

It had taken a little longer then Geordi would have liked, but he said, "Exactly. So, if Lal does… die this time, you have to be prepared for that time."

"I do understand, Geordi," Data replied. "It is my decision as to whether or not to continue this, but I am asking for your help."

Geordi looked deep into his friend's eyes and, although he knew that they were some form of advanced camera-system they were as good as real. The light in Data's eyes was not as full as it used to be. Perhaps, Geordi thought to himself, there was some sort of failure in Data's photonic configuration, but he knew there was something more than that. "Ok," he said quietly.

"You sounded rather lacking in enthusiasm," Data observed.

Geordi sighed, "I'm sorry, Data. But, I will help you."

"Thank you," Data said, and the slightest glimmer of a smile was visible on his face. Geordi knew it was definitely programmed, but it meant a lot to him, the gratitude. "I will be in main engineering at 1400 hours," he stated before leaving.

Geordi sighed; peace at last, he thought to himself. But, in spite of how much he wanted to sleep, he couldn't straight away. There were too many things swirling around in his mind. But, the main thought which kept him awake for half the night was Data's unexpected revelation about Lal. It took him a few hours, but Geordi finally settled down and managed to get some sleep.


	3. Revival

Chapter 3 (1,807 words)

Lieutenant Commander was on his way to main engineering. It was 1330 hours at present. The previous day, he had told Geordi to meet him in main engineering at 1400 today, but Data wanted to arrive earlier, so that he could be sure that what he was about to do was indeed the right thing.

After a few more short moments of walking, he had reached deck 36, which was were main engineering was situated. He wandered through main engineering until he came across the small room which was, in fact, more like a closet. This was where he had been storing Lal for the past few years. The Enterprise's systems were in an absolutely perfect condition at the moment, so there was only a very small handful of people working there.

He wasn't quite sure what it was, but Data realized that he was becoming a little embarrassed. Of course, he knew that no one could have possibly opened the storage cupboard where he had stored Lal. This was because he had been given special permission by the captain, Jean-Luc Picard, to install a quantum security lock. This meant only a computer could possibly gain access, and, Data was a computer. This gave Data a certain amount of security, himself.

However, he did feel bad. He felt bad because he hadn't even told Geordi that this was where he had kept Lal for the past two years. He had only told one person, and that was the captain. So, only Picard knew, unless he had told someone else, but Data knew he wouldn't; he trusted him. And he was right to do so.

Data made sure that no one in engineering could see what he was doing, and then once he was sure that the coast was clear, he quickly opened the door to the storage cupboard and stood outside it. However, he must have not been as thorough as he had thought when he had checked to make sure no one was looking, because a young ensign walked up to him.

"Sir?" She asked as she frowned a little.

Data shuffled a little uncomfortably and then replied, trying to sound and look as nonchalantly as possible, "Yes, ensign?"

"Can you help me with checking over the warp coils?" She asked, then flicked the dark hair out of her eyes.

Data raised his eyebrows in a sort of quizzical manner and then said, "I apologize, ensign, I am otherwise engaged."

She looked a little downcast at hearing his response, so Data tried to make amends for it, "But, lieutenant Wilson is not busy at the moment." He looked over to a blonde officer who was at the other side of main engineering.

"No, he is busy," she said as she, too, cast her gaze over to Wilson and she saw that he was leaving engineering.

Data stood motionless for a short while. He was thinking, or rather, he was processing. "Ah," he said in realization, "it must be his break now." He paused, and then looked over at the ensign again, saying, "But, I should not be busy for too long. I am sure I will be able to offer assistance in a few hours."

At hearing that, the brunette ensign smiled gladly and said, "Thank you," before walking back over to her station.

Almost as soon as she had left him alone, Data saw that Geordi had arrived. The chief engineer walked over to Data and stood squarely in front of him. "So, Data? This is where Lal is?" He realized that he may have spoken too loudly.

"Geordi," Data said cautiously, "I would prefer it if you could lower the volume of your voice."

Geordi nodded, "Of course, Data, sorry."

Data then nodded as well and walked into the small storage room. He waited for La Forge to enter behind him and then he closed the door. Turning around, he saw a small keypad and he quickly keyed in a four digit number. After waiting for no more than a few seconds, the compartment which the keypad was connected to had opened and two doors opened. It looked like a tall, skinny metal wardrobe.

Geordi was astounded at what he now saw. It was Lal. But, she was strapped in place with three strengthened poly-alloy ribbon-like tether. There was one across her forehead, one across her waist and another across her knees. After a moment's thought, Geordi turned to look at his friend and said, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Data stopped what he was doing, "I am sure Geordi. I have had two years to think about this."

"Okay then," Geordi sighed. "What should I do?"

"I would like you to run a diagnostic on Lal, once her neural net has been rebooted," Data replied firmly. He then set about releasing Lal's head from the first tether. Data opened the flap in Lal's head and began to analyse, which much scrutiny, the blinking lights and moving chips which made up her positronic net.

Geordi frowned a little, "Data, why do you need my help?"

"Unlike, myself, Lal is not able to perform a self-diagnostic, due to her present condition. If she were, then I do not think I would require your help."

"I see," Geordi nodded understandingly.

After a few more moments of examining Lal's neural net and her sensory outputs, Data said to Geordi, "I am ready for you to perform a diagnostic now."

The chief engineer picked up his tricorder and started to analyse Lal's neural pathways, her sensors, sub-systems and all other functions. "Well… everything seems to be functioning fine."

"Is her emotional program functioning within sufficient parameters?" Data asked curiously.

Sighing, Geordi shook his head, "Look, Data, previously, Lal suffered a cascade failure in her neural net. That was because of her advanced grasp of emotions. I'm not sure if reintegrating her emotional sub-routine is the best thing to do."

"I understand, Geordi. That is why I have engineered an emotion chip for Lal. I had previously created it for myself, but it was my opinion that Lal should have it."

"That was very noble of you, Data," Geordi said, smiling, "Do you have the chip with you?"

Data nodded and then opened his hand. In it was a small square like object. It was covered in blinking lights and multi-coloured flashes. He handed the chip over to Geordi, who wired it up to the other components in Lal's processing unit.

"Thank you, Geordi," Data said gratefully, "I believe it is complete." He then untied the other two poly-alloy tethers and pressed Lal's activation switch.

The female android opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Geordi chuckled a little, for it was quite amusing, and reconnected two wires in her neural net which had come undone.

Lal tried to speak again, and this time sounds came out of her mouth. "Flirting... laughter... painting family... female... Human." These were her final words when she had suffered the cascade failure, and these were her first words now.

"Lal?" Data said, wide-eyed.

She refocused her attention and caught sight of Data, "Father!" She exclaimed. Her expression was ecstatic, but then it started to fade, "Why am I here?" She asked, confusedly.

Data explained, "I have decided to, for lack of a better word, resurrect you."

"Why?" She cocked her head to the left, indicating both her confusion and her curiosity.

"Because," Data said quietly, "I have… missed your presence," he paused, before adding, "Geordi and I have reconfigured your neural net."

"I… I…," Lala started to talk, but she couldn't get the words to come out straight away, "I… I feel… strange."

Geordi frowned, he thought something had gone wrong. "What is it, Lal?" He asked her, with a worried expression on his face.

"I… I… I don't know," she admitted, before continuing, "but, I think it is something to do with my emotional program."

"You do not have an emotional program, Lal," Data stepped forward.

She frowned in confusion, "I… I don't? but, I can feel, father, I can feel."

"I have given you an emotion chip, but I have disabled your emotional program."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because, it was your advanced concept of emotions which caused your neural net to suffer a severe cascade failure previously."

"Thank you, then, father," Lal said sweetly. She stepped forward and put her arms around the other android. Data wasn't really sure of how exactly to react. So, he awkwardly put his hand on his back and patted it. Lal released herself from the hug and turned to face Geordi, "Thank you, also," she said.

Geordi smiled, saying, "You're quite welcome." He then walked over to his friend, Data. "Would you like me to leave you two alone?" He asked. For, he felt as though he was intruding on them in some way or another.

"I do not require you to leave, Geordi," Data replied in his usual plain tone of voice.

"Its just," Geordi admitted, "I don't want to… get in the way."

Data, in spite of the fact that he had served with many thousands of humans, and indeed other humanoid species, did not really grasp the meaning of what Geordi had just said to him. He failed to understand how Geordi was 'getting in the way'. The room in which they were was more than big enough for the three of them. He ran the words over and over in his mind, and then, he finally understood what Geordi had meant by what he said. Data realized that he had taken it too literally, just like he usually did on quite a regular basis. He cast his gaze over to Geordi and said in response, "Of course."

Geordi nodded, saying, "Do you want to leave this door open?" He pointed to the door which had the keypad beside it.

"No, I know the encryption code. It will not be necessary."

"Okay then," Geordi agreed, "I guess I'll see you in engineering later on." He then left the room and continued to look at the ship's warp field. It was vital that there wasn't even the slightest disturbance.

Once Geordi had left, Data turned to face his 'daughter', and said, "I regret that you will not be capable of experiencing all emotions that there are."

Lal looked up into her father's amber eyes and replied, "I don't mind. I'm grateful that you have been able to reactivate me."

"What emotions can you feel, Lal?" Data asked. For, he knew that she wouldn't be able to feel every emotion, but he didn't know which ones she would be able to experience.

Lal was still for a slight moment; she was thinking. "I can feel… happiness… laughter… sadness… and…" she paused and then added, "… love. I love you, father."


	4. Listening

Chapter 4 (2,192 words)

Lieutenant commander Geordi La Forge shook his head as he walked away from main engineering. It wasn't a particularly large shake or the head, but, it was still quite noticeable. He wasn't quite sure what to do. His mind was torn between two options. And, those two potion were, that he should tell his captain, his own commanding officer that Data had, for lack of a better word, resurrected Lal. The second reason was involved him not telling captain Picard. He cared for Data, as a friend, and he didn't want to end up putting his foot in it.

Geordi had had many friends in the past, even though he was not always as sociable as many of his colleagues knew him to be at present. Nevertheless, in spite of all of the friends which he had had, none of them even came close to Data. Data was different, and not just because of the fact that he was human. Data had friends in the past who were aliens. Even now, he had friends which were otherworldly; such as counsellor Troi and Worf.

He stopped dead in his tracks. He wanted his mind to be made up, but for some unknown and rather annoying reason he didn't know why. He decided on going to visit counsellor Troi, but he thought she was busy.

Commander Riker, luckily, just happened to be strolling past and Geordi noticed him. He quickly jogged up to the commander and asked him if he knew whether or not Deanna had any appointments scheduled for the next few hours.

In response to his question, the commander regarded him, "Hmmm…" he mused. He wasn't really certain. "I don't really know," he confessed, "but…" he paused for a little while, so that he could think a bit more. Then, suddenly, he erupted, "Ah, yes! I know, Deanna's got this appointment with this Tellarite who's been having bad dreams. She told me about it yesterday."

Geordi smiled, "Thanks commander."

"I'm going that way, more or less," Riker added, "I could go and tell her you were asking for her."

For a moment, Geordi stood there in silence, considering Riker's offer, but he decided to decline it. "No. But, thank you anyway."

And, at hearing that, Riker turned on his heal and walked off into the distance; disappearing behind a corner.

Geordi sighed to himself. Now what? It wasn't a medical emergency, so he couldn't realistically report to sickbay. He didn't know what the diagnosis would be, if there even was one. What would it be? Confusion? All he knew was that he had a dilemma, and it certainly was not an easy one, by any stretch of the imagination.

Then, after a few more moments of thinking, Geordi came to a new idea. He was already sort of going in the direction of Ten Forward, so he might as well go and relax there. He had no paper work left to do, and he had no plans either.

He walked a little further, and then he came to the turbolift. He gave the required instruction to the computer and the turbolift quickly whizzed him up the decks to Ten Forward.

Ten Forward was located on deck ten. It was, more or less, the social hub for all of the many different species who, at present, called the USS Enterprise their home. It is a large lounge and recreational facility which is dominated famously by many massive windows which stretched from floor to ceiling. These windows allowed the wonderful view of the stars to be accessible to all. It was a place for observation and for thinking. This is what Geordi had intended on doing.

The person who was in charge for the maintenance of the place known as Ten Forward was a mysterious woman who went by the name of Guinan. She was from a species called the El-Aurian. Next to nothing is known about her species, as is Guinan, herself. However, it is common knowledge that she is quite a few hundred years in age.

Geordi strolled into Ten Forward and stopped once the doors had closed behind him. He was scanning the area for some place for him to sit. It was usually busy, but today, it seemed to be much busier than he remembered it to be. He brushed that aside and finally managed to locate somewhere to sit. It was a window seat. He made his way towards the table and sat down. Once he had done so, he stared out at the stars. He was thinking. He had always wanted to know what it was like to see the night sky as a human did. This is what he liked to discuss with Data. But, Data wasn't with him at the moment, he was with Lal.

Geordi sighed and continued to look out at the stars. He liked to quiz himself from time to time so that he could see how good his astronomical knowledge was. Sometimes the 'quiz' would involve him looking out of the large windows and then trying to estimate exactly what warp factor the Enterprise was presently travelling at. Other times, he would try and see what stars he could point out. Sometimes, there weren't any actual star-systems which he could make out. He knew, from all of his travels, that not every star was the parent to a planetary system.

Now, though, he was concentrating on a star which he could just about see out of the bottom left hand corner of the window which he was sat near. He wasn't sure what the name of the star was. He knew it was a red dwarf star; this part of the quadrant was scattered with these types of stars.

He was deep in thought, partially about the stars and partially about Data and Lal. It was then that he could have sworn he saw someone come up to him and sit down opposite him. He was right. He looked up and saw who it was.

"Oh, hey Guinan," he observed.

The alien woman seemed to be scanning his expression. She could just simply tell that something wasn't quite right. "Hello, Geordi," she smiled that welcoming smile which she seemed to permanently have on her face. "How are you?" She asked him. She seemed to be genuinely concerned, and she was.

He answered, his words little more than a mumble, "I… I'm fine, I guess."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked him, whilst smiling again.

He shook his head, for he didn't actually know the answer to that question himself. "I don't know," he expressed his confusion to her, "I just… I guess I've got a bit of a dilemma."

She frowned, confused. "A dilemma?" She asked, "What sort of a dilemma?" She asked the question again and looked at him. She didn't need to be able to see his actual eyes to know that something was wrong; she just knew. She noticed that he appeared to be rather uncomfortable. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, then…"

Geordi was suddenly alert and he cut her off, mid-sentence. "No, no, Guinan. It's not that. It's just that I don't know whether or not I should tell you."

"Well," she offered her opinion, "I'm guessing someone's told you a secret and you don't know whether you should keep your mouth shut or not. Am I right?" She asked him.

He sighed and then replied, "Yeah, I guess you could kind of call it a secret. But, he never actually specified that it was a secret."

"I see," she nodded her head in agreement. "Does this 'secret' pose any threat to anyone?" She asked.

"No," he responded.

"Well then," her voice sounded as though she had already made her mind up," I don't think you should tell."

He nodded and considered what she had said. But, he still wasn't very satisfied. "But, it may be against the rules. I'm not quite sure which rules exactly, but I'm sure it's not… right."

"Well, I'm not quite sure if I can help you then," she said. She sounded a little disappointed in herself and she left him and went to go and man the bar which, as usual, stood in the centre of Ten Forward.

Geordi gathered that it had been at least an hour, if not more, since he had asked commander Riker whether not Deanna had any appointments, so he thought he might swing by her officer and find out for himself.

Geordi cleared his throat. He wasn't quite sure why, yet still, he just did. He pressed the comm-panel on the side of Deanna Troi's office and announced his presence to her, "Uh, Deanna?"

She didn't even have to ask who it was. She could just recognize his voice. It sounded nervous. "Yes, Geordi, what is it?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if I could… well, if I could talk with you." Although she couldn't see, he shuffled his feet ever so slightly. He kept asking himself over and over again. Am I doing the right thing?

"Of course, Geordi, come on in. I've got no appointments scheduled for now," she said, smiling.

He walked in and sat down opposite her on a large purple chair. It wasn't really purple, in fact, it looked slightly anaemic in colour.

"What's on your mind, then?" She asked him as she tried to get her Betazoid senses to home in.

He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know, Deanna."

"Look," she said firmly, "I'm sensing something in you. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I think it's something like stress or worry."

"Yeah, I guess it is something like that," he replied, considering her conclusion.

"Do you… want to tell me what it is that's bothering you?" She asked him.

Geordi told her. "Well, I was talking with Guinan and she said that it's not right for someone to tell someone else of their friend's… secret."

"I see," she replied, pondering what Geordi had said. "Could this 'secret' endanger someone?" She asked, slightly apprehensive.

"No, not really," he replied. "But," he began to talk again, "it could hurt Data." As soon as he had said the name, he instantly cursed himself under his breath. It obviously wasn't as quite as quiet as he had thought, because, from looking at Deanna's expression, he could tell that she had heard it. "Sorry," he quickly apologized.

Deanna could tell that Geordi didn't mean to reveal the person with the secret as being Data, so she said to him, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I won't tell anyone. You have my word."

"Thanks." He then smiled, albeit a little half-heartedly.

"So, we've established this: Data has a secret which he has told you, but you think it could… hurt him?" She asked, a little confused.

He nodded. "Yes. So, I don't know whether or not I should tell the captain."

"Is it a…" she tried to phrase her next question as delicately as she possibly could "…private matter?"

"I wouldn't say that," Geordi considered for a moment. "I would call it more of a personal thing. But, I just don't know if I should, you know, report it."

"Report it?" Deanna repeated, slightly alarmed. "Is it dangerous or against regulation?" She asked.

He shook his head, but only a little. "It's not illegal, but I definitely think it's going to need some sort of approval."

"I see," she replied, thinking. "And, you won't tell me what exactly it is?"

He sighed wearily. "I guess I have to now, don't it?" He let out a short, quiet chuckle. "All right," he said finally, "I'll tell you." He looked over at Deanna, who was, by now, listening rather intently on what he had to say. Geordi began, "A few days ago, Data came round to my quarters and asked me if I could give him some help."

"What sort of help?" Deanna asked, wide-eyed and interested.

Geordi continued, "He asked me to help him in… resurrecting Lal."

"Lal?" Deanna was instantly thrown aback by Geordi's revelation. "As in, Data's 'daughter'?" She asked, astounded.

"The very same," Geordi responded.

"But… how? I mean, I'm certainly no expert in computing, but I thought her neural net overloaded or something?" She asked.

"Not exactly, but that's the general idea," Geordi confirmed.

Deanna continued, "So, Data wants to… bring Lal back to life?"

"No…" Geordi's voice trailed off and then he picked it back up again "…He's already brought her back."

"Ah," was all Deanna could say. "Where is she now then?"

He frowned and replied, with little certainty on his face, "I'm not sure. Last time I checked, they were in engineering, which is where Data had been… storing her body. But, I don't know where they are now." He looked at Deanna, who appeared pensive. "Their probably in his quarters now, I should think."

"Okay, Geordi," Deanna concluded, "I'll maybe go round and check up on Lal."

"Thanks, Deanna," Geordi replied, thanking her. He stood up and smiled before leaving the ship's counsellor office.


	5. Learning

Deanna had been true to her word. And now, at present, she was walking over to Data's quarters. They were located on deck seven. She had just stepped into the turbolift. The journey travel was very nearly instantaneous. In a few seconds she had arrived at her destination: deck seven. She walked down the grey coloured corridors which covered so much of the starship Enterprise and finally she came to Data's door.

She took a deep breath in; for she was unsure of exactly how Data would react to what she had to say. She couldn't sense any sort of emotions in him, obviously, and this made her a little nervous. She pressed the comm panel and it instantly chirped, notifying Data that there was someone outside his door.

"Come," Data called out in his plain tone of voice. The door slid open, obeying his command and it revealed Deanna Troi to be standing there. Data was, he admitted it, a little surprised at seeing her here. "Counsellor?" he asked inquisitively.

"Hi, Data," she said, smiling. "Could I talk with you?" She asked.

He nodded his head, "Of course counsellor."

Deanna sat down on the large, dull grey couch and Data sat beside her. "Data, may I ask you a question?"

Data considered this question and replied, "Of course. What is the question?"

"Well," Deanna rephrased her original wording, "It is quite personal, and I understand if you don't feel comfortable with answering it."

"I assure you counsellor, I do not mind."

Deanna smiled. "Okay, Geordi came to visit me a little while earlier and he said he was worried about you."

"Worried?" Data asked. His eyes widened a little.

"Yes," Deanna continued, "He said that you've been acting a little strangely these past few weeks. I, myself, have noticed it too."

"In what way, counsellor?" Data asked, rather perplexed by what she was saying.

"I won't go into details, but, Geordi said that you had… fixed Lal." She wasn't entirely sure of how to phrase that sentence. She thought about saying 'revived', but in the end she decided to go with 'fix'.

Data nodded and replied in a simple, matter-of-fact tone, "That is correct."

"Data, I don't really know the true ins and outs of Starfleet regulations," she admitted, "but I'm sure you must need to clear this with the captain first."

Data regarded her, "I understand, counsellor. However," he said, "Lal is a person, so she now has the right to choose."

Deanna sighed. "I think you're missing the point a little here, Data. What I mean is that, no one wants to see you get hurt again. After the last time… with Lal… I could tell that you didn't feel quite right."

"But, you cannot sense anything in me, counsellor," Data pointed out.

She shook her head slightly. "I didn't need to be able to sense something, Data. I could just tell that you were… grieving for her loss."

Data's eyes flickered from left to right slightly; his head cocked to one side for a little while and, for only a short moment, it appeared as though his mouth had curled down to the bottom. If Data were human, Deanna would have said he was sad, even upset. "I'm sorry, Data," she said, and she put her hand on his knee.

Data looked down at her, "There is no need for an apology," he said.

Deanna decided to change the subject, "Where is Lal now?" She asked, curiously. She hadn't heard anything, or seen anything, so she was wondering where she was.

"I have given Lal some texts regarding Ancient Earth cultures. She is reading them at present," Data replied. He looked at Deanna and studied her expression. He couldn't quite figure out what it was, but he gathered that Deanna wanted to see Lal. "Would you like to see her?" He asked.

She smiled in response. "Thank you, Data."

Data stood up and walked into the other room, which is where Lal was. He told her that they had a guest and the female android walked over to Deanna, with Data following her closely.

"Hello, Lal," Deanna said to her.

Lal looked up at her and offered her a smile. It was brief and looked a little strange, but, for some reason, it seemed right. "Hello…" she paused, trying to remember who this woman was, and then she did "…Deanna Troi. Betazoid. Thirty-two years of age."

Data looked at Lal and said to her in a firm tone, "Lal, the rest of your… greeting was not necessary."

Deanna smiled at Data and then at Lal. "It's all right," she said to the female android, "How are you?" She asked.

Lal was silent for a few moments. She didn't know how to reply. "I am… functioning within normal…" she stooped herself from saying anymore once she realized that she probably hadn't said the best reply. "I am well," she amended her response. "How are you, Deanna?" She asked.

"I'm fine, too," Deanna said. She looked at Data and then walked over to him. "Have you enrolled Lal in the school yet?" She asked him.

"I have yet to do that, but it is a priority."

"Good," the counsellor replied. She took one last glance at Data and Lal. She knew he made a strange father, but she could also quite clearly tell that he did care for Lal, and even if it wasn't love, she knew that it mattered. Then, she left Data's quarters and smiled to herself. When other people were happy, she felt herself beginning to brighten as well.

A few hours had passed and Data was in Ten Forward. He caught sight of Deanna Troi. She was alone, so he thought it would be an appropriate time to talk to her. He needed to get something off of his chest. He made his way towards her and sat down on the chair opposite. "Counsellor?" He announced his presence to her.

She looked up and placed the long spoon back into her chocolate fudge sundae. "Oh, hello, Data," she said, "Is there anything wrong?"

He looked at her and responded, "That depends on what one's definition of 'wrong' is."

"What I meant was, is there anything on your mind?" She asked.

"I have received the impression that people do not… approve of Lal being here."

"What do you mean?" She asked, taking another mouthful of the sundae.

He shook his head and frowned a little. Not so much that you could see his eyebrows coming together, but there was clearly a difference in his facial expression that was visible. "I do not know, to be precise," he admitted.

"Well," Deanna began, "you must have come here for a reason."

"That is true," Data replied, nodding in agreement with her observation.

"Why do you think people don't approve of Lal?" She asked, wide-eyed with both worry and curiosity.

"Many officers have been exchanging looks whenever they perceive Lal and me to be near. Many also change their voices to a lower register and volume when they are aware of our presence. Of course, I am only able to know what happens when I am present."

"I understand," Deanna replied. "But, I just think that they're a little confused."

Data cocked his head to the side slightly, indicating his uncertainty. "Confused?" He repeated.

"Yes," she replied. "It has only been a few years since Lal… died. I think they are just having trouble adjusting to the fact that she is back." She stopped talking, but after a few short moments, she resumed talking, "Think about it, Data, if someone you love dies and you know someone who also has known the death of a loved one. If that someone somehow, for lack of a better word, brings the dead person back to life and you can't do the same to your loved one, how would you feel?"

Data didn't really think it through when he delivered his response. "But, I cannot feel." Judging by the counsellor's expression, he must have realised that he should rephrase what he had just said. "I am taking it too literally."

Deanna nodded and her mouth curled into a little smile.

Data continued, "I presume I would feel anguish and sadness. Jealousy and rage."

"That's right," she said. "If I were you, Data, I wouldn't worry about it. People are free to form their own opinions. I'm sure no one means to… hurt you feeling."

Data wasn't entirely sure whether or not he agreed with the last few words of Deanna's statement; he was going to try and correct her, but in the end, he thought better of it. "Thank you, counsellor."

Deanna smiled at him. She then added, "But, if you do feel the need to talk, I'll try and make myself available."

"I will bear that in mind," Data said in response.


	6. Fun

"Lal?" Data called out to his daughter as he finished his painting. It was a portrait of Lal. For the past few weeks or so, he had only really been painting and drawing abstract things. He had decided to opt for a more natural and more realistic vive in his paintings now. "Have you ever been to the Holodeck?"

Lal walked over to her father and stared, in complete and utter awe, at the picture her father had just done of her. She scrutinized every single detail of the picture, but she could find no flaws. It was basically perfect. "That's a very good painting, father," she said.

Data paused for a moment, and then replied, "Thank you, Lal. But, you have not answered my question."

Lal regarded Data for a moment and thought about what to say. What was the question? She asked herself it numerous times, but then, she finally remembered what it was. "I don't think I have ever been," she replied, in answer to his question.

"I, myself, prefer to act out famous plots from historic novels, but will give you the opportunity to choose this time." Data stood up and placed his paint brush, ever so delicately, onto the paint pallet. He walked over to the door of his quarters, "Holodeck five is the only one available at this moment. It is located on deck ten. You can follow me, I will show you the way." And, with that, Data let the quarters with Lal in hot pursuit.

The journey was reasonably short, and soon, Data and Lal came to the holodeck.

"I remember now, father," Lal broke the silence, "I have been to a holodeck before. When I was first activated, I came to one, so I could chose my appearance."

Data knew that she had been to a holodeck before, but he just wanted to be certain of the fact that Lal knew she had.

"Is there any particular environment which you would like me to create?" Data asked his daughter.

Lal considered this question for a moment. There were so many things which she wanted to see, and she was having a rather hard time coming up with an idea. "I've never seen the… sky."

Data wasn't quite sure what she meant, "There are many different skies, Lal. Each celestial body has a different atmosphere, and so, each has a different sky."

"Oh," Lal realised what he meant, "Then, what planet do you come from?" She asked him.

Data replied simply and quickly, "Omicron Theta. However, it was destroyed by the Silicon Entity." He looked over at Lal, who seemed a little disappointed, so he added, "But, the majority of the Enterprise crew come from the planet Earth."

"Earth?" Lal wondered. It sounded like a weird name, but, somehow, she was intrigued by it. "Then, father, I would like to see the morning sky on… Earth."

Data nodded and ordered the computer to program just that. In a few mere seconds, the simulated environment was complete. Lal stood there, her eyes were opened as wide as they could possibly be; she was simply astounded.

The sky was beautiful. There was not even a single, minute cloud to be seen floating around. There was the sound of birds calling and they could be seen swooping. Every now and then, one would come right above their heads. Data, knowing full well that these birds were merely simulated, did not flinch. Lal, however, was not so knowledgeable and she had to duck every single time even the most small of these birds swooped near to her. The grass was green and so were the trees. They stood around one hundred foot; some were even taller than that. There were many types of flowers scattered across the dark green grass. There were flowers of all different sizes, smells, textures and colours.

"This is… wonderful," Lal exclaimed to her father.

Data wasn't really all that impressed. He had no emotional capabilities, and so, he couldn't realistically find any of this 'wonderful'. He thought it was clever and curious, but he couldn't find any other words to describe it. "It is… intriguing," he responded to her statement, simply.

"Thank you," Lal said as she took her father's hand.

Data looked down and he held back onto her hand. It felt strange, he had to admit. He didn't think he had ever held anyone's hand before. He rarely even touched people; not even a pat on the back or a simple high-five.


	7. Books

Lal frowned. She was afraid. Actually, to be more honest, it was more like a feeling of dread. She had never really been nervous in her, albeit, rather short life. But, now, she was and she certainly did not enjoy the feeling in the slightest.

Data scanned the expression of his daughter and wondered about what to say to her. He may not be all that experienced or, indeed, successful when regarding romance or humour, but he could tell when someone was uncomfortable. He could simply see it in Lal's facial expression. He knew she was nervous. So, he tried to make amends for that, in any way that he could try to think of, "Lal?"

She looked over at her father, "Yes?" She sighed and her facial expression appeared to be getting even glummer.

"There is no need to be…" Data wanted to be correct in his judgement. He had made so many incorrect observations in the past. "…anxious." He seemed to be rather satisfied when he decided on saying that word.

She frowned. "I'm not nervous, father," she said simply.

"Then," Data enquired, "What is wrong?"

"It's very simply," Lal said in response to her father's question, "I don't want to go."

"Why not?" Data asked. His tone of voice, as always, was one of pure neutrality, but there was a hint of something else too. And that was firmness.

"I don't have to have a reason," Lal replied defiantly.

Data wasn't sure of what to do. Should he tell her, again, to go? Or, should he just leave her? He had reached an impasse. It was, after all, Lal's decision. "Why do you not wish to go to school, Lal?" He asked her, again. This time, his tone of voice was much more stern and authoritative.

"I don't know, father," she said. Her facial expression now gave next to nothing away as to how she was feeling.

Again, Data was stuck with what to say. "Lal, you must attend school. Learning is vital to our existence."

She cocked her head to one side, to show him that she was actually listening.

Data continued, "Without knowledge, existence is futile."

"Yes," she replied simply.

Data needed a clarification. "To what?" He asked, in need of more information.

"I will go to school," she replied and then smiled. She put her hand on her father's and looked up at him.

The teacher was called Mrs Monroe. She was British and had just recently come aboard the Enterprise. She had transferred from Starbase sixty-seven. She liked it on the Enterprise. However, nothing whatsoever could top working on her home planet. She had come from a small village, and it was only when her husband had told her of the fact that Starfleet was looking for qualified teachers that she even knew what she could be doing. So, she signed up without even a second thought.

Mrs Monroe walked around the classroom and watched the students. She then walked over to her desk and stood in front of it. "So, today, we will be doing English Literature."

A few of her students didn't quite follow what she meant. She noticed their confused facial expressions and explained further, "We will be studying historical written works from the planet Earth."

Some of the children were, obviously, not from Earth. They would much rather be learning about their own home worlds, and not Earth.

The teacher began to walk around the classroom and she handed each pupil a copy of a book. It was called The War of the Worlds. This confused some of her students. Some of them had never even actually seen a book before.

"Why can't we use our PADDs?" One of the students asked. He was a Klingon.

She smiled at him. "Because, Marg, it is always better to read a book. A real book."

A girl, a Betazoid, interrupted them, "That's what the captain says." It was true, Picard always loved to read a book. His favourite novel was Moby Dick.

"Yes, Alana," the teacher said. She then, once she was sure that no one was going to ask any more questions, she began her lesson. "Could every one turn to page one and then read the first chapter," she asked.

All the students turned to the first page and began to read. After more or less ten minutes, the teacher broke the silence and said, "Does anyone want to tell us what's happening in the book, then?"

There was silence, except for one student. It was Lal. "Chapter one starts with the mention and exploration of human views of the universe and of the science of life during the nineteenth century."

The teacher smiled, "Well done, Lal," she said.

But, Lal had not finished, "When the book was first published, it unleashed a considerable amount of fear upon the world, as it was not yet ready for Wells' view on life and science."

"Yes," Mrs Monroe added. "Now, does anyone else know anything about this book?" She asked the whole class.

It was silent for a short time, but then the Klingon called Marg said, "The writer's perceptions of the universe are very wrong."

"In what way?" The teacher asked. She, herself, knew the answer to her question, but she had to be sure that he did too.

Marg continued, "Well, he says how the planet…" he tried to remember what the name of it was. He had never been there. He flicked through the fine pages of the book and then he found what he was looking for "…Mars was covered in water. I didn't think that was true." He looked rather puzzled.

"That is true, Marg," she explained. "However, four hundred years ago, no one on Earth knew nearly as much as we do now about the cosmos. It wasn't until the mid-twentieth century when it was finally accepted that life or even water on Mars was simply not there."

He nodded, seemingly content with her response.

The teacher carried on with her lesson. "One of the purposes of studying English Literature is to think about what it would feel like to be in the shoes of one of characters. For example, the main character in this book is simply known as the 'Narrator'." She paused to look around the room and then asked her pupils, "How would you feel if you were the Narrator?"

Many of the children's faces were just blank. But, a few of them showed that they knew what she was talking about. The teacher selected one of the pupils, who was human.

The child began, "When this book was written, there was no knowledge of alien life. Being suddenly presented with the facts that they were not alone in the universe must have triggered some very strong emotions."

"Can you think of any?" She asked the boy, Brent.

"Well, I would say that they would experience fear, hatred, corruption, and wonder. But, soon, they realise that the aliens weren't friendly."

"Have you read this book before?" The teacher asked.

He nodded, "Yep. It's not really all that good."

"Oh?"

"I prefer detective fiction, like Sherlock Holmes."

The teacher smiled, "Well, that's what we'll be studying next lesson. But, after that, there will be an exam on Klingon texts." She took a quick glance at the clock and saw that their lesson was now finished. "You may leave now," she told her class and they left.

Lal was the last one to leave.


	8. Relationships

Data was nervous. He didn't even think that it were possible for an artificial life form, such as himself, to even be capable of being nervous. He was in the holodeck. There was no one there, except for him. He was alone. The only other 'people' there were holograms. The program which he had created was called 'Lieutenant Commander Data #1'. He hadn't created it entirely by himself, though. He had had some help from another officer, Lieutenant Barclay. Even Data called him Mr Broccoli, but not on purpose, obviously.

The environment which had been simulated was a night-club. Barclay had told Data that night-clubs from Earth during the twentieth century were definitely the best. When Data had asked him why, he didn't really understand the response which Barclay had given him.

It had been Data's idea, though, to create this sort of program. After watching Lal mature so much, he feared that she was becoming more human than he was. He wanted to become human. And, to do this, he realised that this meant he had to socialize a bit more.

The walls of the night-club were a very dark purple and were covered, also, with lighter purple spots. The ceiling was black and the floor was full of a mixture of many different colours. There was literally every single colour underneath the rainbow. There were also many, many spot lights and strobe lights which definitely lit up the entire place. Data was wearing a simulated tuxedo. As soon as he saw what all the other people in the club were wearing, he felt a little ridiculous. He noticed what he perceived to be the bar and walked over to it. He sat down on one of the strangely high bar stools and waited for the barmaid to walk over. She couldn't have been any older than about twenty-five years of age.

The blonde-haired barmaid leant over the bar and looked at Data, "So, handsome, what will it be?"

"I am not familiar with the local cuisine," Data replied as politely as ever. "I would most appreciate it if you could enlighten me."

The barmaid laughed, "I don't know what the heck that was meant to be, but I can tell you what our most popular choices are."

Data stared at her and thought about what to say. "Thank you," was what he said in the end.

"Well," the barmaid began, "there's gin and tonic, red wine, Pina colada and, my favourite… vodka and tonic."

"Then," Data said, "I will have the vodka and tonic."

She then poured the drink and slid it across the bar to him, "Here."

Data smiled, but it was barely even noticeable.

"That'll be $11.95, then," the barmaid said.

Data did not know that some form of currency would be needed. He ordered the computer, "Freeze program. Computer, provide me with adequate currency."

The female voice of the ship's computer replied, "Working… complete."

"Computer," Data said again, "resume program from current point."

The program then started again and handed over the money to the barmaid. He had given her $15.

The barmaid cashed in the money and gave him his change. Data looked at the change which she had in her open hand and said, "You may keep it."

The barmaid grinned and replied, "Thanks. You know, you're all right."

"All right?" Data asked, confused, yet again.

"Yeah. What I mean is, you're not a jerk."

Data gathered that this was some sort of compliment, and so replied, "Thank you." He brought the drink up to his lips and began to drink it. He had swallowed it all in one go.

"Whoa, steady on!" The barmaid advised him. "You might wanna watch yourself."

Data noticed that many of the other people in the bar were drinking many glasses, so he decided to do the same. He wanted to fit in. "I would like another vodka and tonic please," he asked politely.

Frowning, the barmaid poured him the drink and gave it to him. "$11.95," She said.

Once again, Data handed her more than was needed; $15. "There is no need to provide me with change."

She smiled and looked into his eyes. There was something different about him, and she liked it. Of course, she was simply made up of photons held in place by a magnetic field, but she didn't know that. "I get off in a half hour, maybe you and I could hang out later."

Data didn't know what she had said. "Get off?"

She sighed, "My shift ends."

"Ah, I see," he replied. "I will return in a half hour."

He walked away from the bar, after finishing off his second glass. He wasn't sure really why he had decided to go walking around the club. He just wanted to find some other way of socializing. He saw many couples sat together. They were talking, they were laughing, they were drinking, and they were kissing. Data wondered if this was the next step of socializing. He waited a half hour, and soon he saw the blonde barmaid stepping out from behind the bar. He walked over to her and said, "Has your shift finished?"

"Thank god!" She exclaimed. "I wish I didn't have to work here, but I need the money, so I guess I've got no choice. She sighed. "I'm fed up with all the looks I get… from men."

Data looked at her; studied her. "Are you sure you are wearing appropriate attire?" He looked at what she was wearing. She had her hair loose down past her shoulders, heavy make-up and earrings. She had a leather jacket on, but Data doubted whether there was actually anything underneath it. He decided there was only a bra. He legs were just as badly covered. She had a black skirt on. It seemed to be far too small to her, it barely covered her behind.

"Why're you looking?" She demanded, becoming a little protective.

Data realised that he may have offended her, "I am sorry, I did not mean to…"

She cut him off, "It doesn't matter. It's not my choice to wear this."

"Is it uniform?"

She laughed, "No, it's my boss' idea."

"I do not think you should be forced to wear this," Data replied.

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it," she said solemnly.

Data didn't press the situation any further.

"Where are you from, then?" She asked him

"Omicron…" he prevented himself from saying any more. Of course, he knew that this didn't matter, it was only the holodeck, but, he wanted it to feel real. "I am from out of town."

She nodded. "You should be stoned!" She exclaimed.

"Could you please explain, stoned?" Data asked.

She sighed and then smiled, "Drunk."

"Ah, incapacitated. Intoxicated. Woozy," Data could have probably gone on and on with the synonyms but he was stopped when he felt the barmaid's hands on his chest. She had moved them and they were now around his neck. Data cocked his head to the side a little. He was very confused. "What are you doing?" He asked her.

She didn't reply, she just pressed her lips to his.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"Because," the barmaid said her rather empty reply.

Data frowned and said, "I do not believe that is a sufficient explanation."

She kissed him again. Obviously Data knew what to do, he had kissed people before. But, just not that often.

"What's wrong?" She asked him. "Are you shy?"

"I do not believe I am shy."

"Oh god," she exclaimed, "You're not gay are you?"

Data frowned. "If you are referring to sexuality, then I am not… gay."

"Then, what's the problem?" She asked.

"I am not accustomed to this sort of… behaviour," he replied simply.

She smiled. She was finding this encounter rather amusing. "Have you never done this before?" She asked.

"I have," Data replied. "I have… been… intimate before." It was true. First, there was Tasha Yar, then Ard'rian McKenzie and, most notably, Jenna D'Sora. Suddenly, Data heard a loud noise. It was a beeping sound.

The barmaid stepped back and took something out of her jacket pocket. It was a cell phone. She picked it up and said, "Sorry," to Data. She held the device to her ear and began to talk to whoever was on the other end of the line.

Data stood there and then ordered the computer to end the program. It was certainly an… interesting experience, and he could tell that Barclay had added in a lot more elements than Data had previously been aware of, for instance, the rather provocative barmaid for one. He then walked out of the holodeck and saved the program.

Data obviously hadn't judged his exit from the holodeck as well as he usually did. As soon as he stepped outside and walked around the corner, he collided with someone, a female ensign. She had been carrying a PADD, which was now lying on the floor. She was about to bend down and pick it up, but Data knew that the right thing to do was for the 'gentleman' to pick it up, so he did. He handed it over to her.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling. She had bright blue eyes, which were the colour of a perfect ocean. Her hair flowed down past her shoulders and was a perfect shade of dark brown. "Sorry, for bumping into you," she said.

Data studied her expression. She looked very happy. Her smile was outlined in a subtle shade of pink, and showed her perfect teeth. "There is no need to apologize, ensign," he said, after looking at her collar to see that she only had one rank pin.

Without even thinking, the ensign blurted out, "Leena. My name's Leena." As soon as she had said that, she knew that she had stepped out of line. He was a senior officer on the bridge, the Enterprise's third in command. She was only an ensign on her way to engineering. "Sorry," she apologized again.

"An apology is not necessary," Data replied simply. He wasn't annoyed with her, how could he be? "Is there anything you wish me to assist you with?" He asked. Lal was at school, and he had no shifts, so he was free.

She looked up at him, for she was at least a head shorter than him. "Uh…" she tried to think. "I don't think so, commander, but, thank you for asking. It was very kind of you." She smiled once again.

Data nodded and walked away. If he had been human, then he would have surely noticed that this ensign was attracted to him, but he wasn't human, so was almost blind to this fact.

He had seen this ensign before. She was the one who had come over to him a few days ago when he was trying to get to Lal as quickly and as discreetly as possible. He had promised to help her when she came up to him in engineering. She had asked him for his assistance when checking over the warp coils, and he had said that he would be available to help her in a few hours' time. That was quite a few days ago. Data hadn't really forgotten about it, at least not in the conventional sense anyway; it was impossible for him to forget. He had just simply put it further back into his mind, as it wasn't really all that important.


	9. Awkward

Guinan was standing behind the bar in Ten Forward. She hadn't been doing much recently and there were not that many people in Ten Forward. She wondered why. Usually, at this time of day, evening, there were many tired officers who wanted a chance to wind down and relax so that they could prepare for the next day of hard work. She scanned the people in the room, and saw that everything seemed to be going well. Then, she caught sight of someone. It was Geordi La Forge. She decided to go and check up on him because of the fact that he had come to her for advice about Data's weird behaviour. Now, of course, nearly everyone had knowledge of the fact that Data had somehow managed to 'revive' Lal.

She walked over to Geordi, after stopping quite a few times to check on other officers and to ask how they were at present. She came to the table were Geordi was. Data was sat opposite him. "Hey, Geordi, Data," Guinan said, announcing her presence to them.

Data nodded, "Hello, Guinan."

Geordi looked up at her, "Oh, hey, Guinan. How are you?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question," she replied, smiling.

Geordi shrugged, "Thanks, I'm fine now." He smiled.

"That's good. I'm glad you managed to…" she wondered what exactly she should call it "…sort it out."

"Yeah," Geordi replied.

Guinan smiled at him once more and then set off for the bar again. There were now a few officers who were lined up, waiting to be served. Although replicators made food preparation next to a million times simpler and must less time consuming, it was still a rather large task to undertake, but Guinan took it all in her stride.

Once Guinan had gone, Data asked his friend, "What was it that you had to sort out?"

"Nothing, really," Geordi said simply as he poked the food around with his fork on the plate.

Data didn't press the situation any further.

Geordi took a mouthful of his food. It was spaghetti. "How is Lal?" He asked, trying to keep up a conversation.

"I believe Lal is fine. Her diagnostic discovered no anomalies."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Ten Forward, a group of other officers were enjoying their break. A few more offices came to join their table. As they did so, the officers who were already at the table carefully and quickly shunted their food and belongings along the table, so that the new arrivals would have some space.

"Well, then?" Ensign Leena McAdams said as she eyed her friend eagerly, "Who's your celebrity crush?"

Ensign Sarah Jefferies had been daydreaming, but she wasn't really asleep and so blinked a little and then answered her friend's question, almost, "Oh... I don't know..." She said, sighing.

"Come, on, Sarah!" Leena encouraged the other ensign. "I'm sure you can think of someone!"

"Alright, then," Sarah said finally, after a moment of brief silence, "But, promise me you won't laugh."

"I can't promise you anything," Leena said carefully.

"Okay, then," Sarah finally gave in to her friend's persistence, "I've always... liked... Alexander the Great," she replied quietly.

"Really?!" Leena asked, wide-eyed and confused.

Sarah smiled, "Yeah! Why not?"

"He's over two thousand years old, Sarah!" She reminded her.

"I know, I know. But, I studied ancient history at college, and well, there's a lot of historical sources saying that Alexander the Great was a very fit young man."

"Wasn't he really short?" Leena wondered.

Shrugging, Sarah responded, "I know that, but, still... He's got long flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and, I imagine he was very... muscular!" She said, blushing a little.

Lieutenant Michael Duchovny had been wondering when he should step in, and he decided that now was the time. He took a sip of his drink, water, and then spoke up, "Anyway, I thought he was gay."

"Who?" Sarah asked, thinking.

Michael rolled his eyes and then sighed, replying, "Alexander the Great! Who did you think I meant?"

"No he was not!" Sarah replied, becoming defensive of the late Macedonian king.

"What about him and Hephaestion?" He asked. He wasn't great on history, but he had studied it for a short while. He used to find it rather interesting, now though, he just found it to be dull.

"Hephaestion was his friend!" Sarah said adamantly and loudly.

"Nah," Michael continued his point on further, "I think there was more to it. Right, Ashley?" He looked over to ensign McAdams who was sat next to Sarah.

Leena looked up and then replied, "I really don't know. But, I think there was a little more than friendship between those two. You know, like Achilles and Patroclus. You have to admit Sarah, in that passage by... what was his name again?" She looked over to Sarah.

"Arrian," Sarah responded, barely audible. It sounded like a grumble.

"Yeah, Arrian. Well, in one of the things he's written, he speaks about how Alexander loved Hephaestion so greatly and when Hephaestion died, Alexander was absolutely heart-broken and he cut all his hair and threw it over his dead... friend's body," Ashley concluded.

"Whatever, I don't care," Sarah said stubbornly. "Anyway, Leena, who do you like, then?" She asked, her eyes began to narrow.

Sighing, Leena soon replied, albeit half-heartedly, "I'm not sure if this counts, but..."

"Go on..." Sarah said.

Leena continued, "I'd have to say it would be Data." She smiled.

"What?" Sarah Jefferies studied the expression of her colleague. She sipped her synthehol and shook her head. "Leena, you can't be serious!" She chuckled, showing her perfect smile.

Leena stared defiantly at her confused shipmate. "What's wrong with him?" She looked around the room. "Data is wonderful. He's kind and clever and thoughtful."

Sarah leaned forward and waved a disapproving finger, tipped with expertly applied clear nail varnish at her friend. "Well, for one, he isn't even a person!" She reminded her friend, before glancing around the table and seeing everyone's obviously amused expressions, causing her to chortle and she wiped her brow, sighing.

"You dated that Klingon before, right?" Leena defended her corner with a defiant folding of her arms and she leant back, reclining in her seat.

Sarah sighed. "That was different."

"How is Mr Ich-Ach-Och any more human than Data?" She giggled at her own impersonation of a Klingon.

"Exactly." Michael voiced his opinion.

"Shut up, Mike." Leena scowled at the lieutenant opposite with dark blond hair and who had half a bowl of spaghetti in his mouth.

"You know," Sarah said to her friend quietly, "Data's sat over there."

Leena sighed, "So what?" She didn't want to be mocked anymore.

Sarah smiled, "Perhaps you should go talk to him."

"I can't do that!" Leena shot back defensively.

"Why not?" Sarah asked, frowning a little.

"Well," Leena explained, "Geordi's there. I can't just go strolling up to them. Besides, what would I say to him?"

Sarah shook her head, "I don't know." She looked at the large digital clock which was on display in Ten Forward and said to Leena, "Look, I've got to go. I've got a shift in engineering in a few minutes."

Once she had said that, all the other officers who were sat at the table stood up too; they had shifts coming up as well. Leena didn't have any shifts soon, so she just sat in Ten Forward by herself. She stared out at the stars, in wonder.

Geordi, on the other side of Ten Forward, had noticed Leena's strange behaviour. He wondered what exactly was going on over there. He was going to go over and take a look for himself, but, to be completely honest, he couldn't really be bothered to. Although, he did know why Leena was acting that way. In fact, he'd actually known for quite some time. He knew she had a soft spot for Data.

"Data?" He began.

The android regarded him, "Yes?"

"You see that ensign over there?" He said pointing to where Leena was sat.

He nodded, "Yes, I do."

"I think she…" he didn't know quite how to put it "…likes you."

Data cocked his head to the left a little. He was confused. "I do not understand… 'like'?"

"Yeah," Geordi elaborated on his point. "She's got a bit of a soft spot for you?"

"Soft spot?" Data echoed Geordi's words.

The chief engineer sighed, he knew he should have explained it better. "Okay, what I mean is that she is attracted to you."

"To me?" Data asked, confused and intrigued.

Geordi laughed, "Yeah, all the signs are there."

"What do you suggest I do?" Data asked him for advice.

"Well, I don't know much about women, relationships really aren't my strong point," he admitted. "But, what I would say is to go and talk to her."

Data considered this for a brief moment. It made total sense. "Now?" He asked, just to be absolutely clear.

"Yeah," Geordi said and he stood up, saying, "Captain Picard's put me on bridge duty today, so I have to go now."

Data nodded and Geordi left Ten Forward.

The android looked over at the woman; Leena. Should he go and sit with her? Or, shouldn't he? At last, after asking himself many a question in the space of only a few minutes or so, he came to a conclusion. And, it was a rather logical one to. Data wanted to become more sociable, and doing this was the perfect opportunity to do so. He stood up and walked over to where Leena was sat. She was still staring out at the stars. At first, she didn't really notice that someone had sat down beside her. Then, just to be sure, she looked around and saw Data. His face was only around thirty centimetres away from her's. She had never felt so awkward in her entire life.

"Data!" She exclaimed, shocked. Then, she remembered that she shouldn't address him like that. She had to address him properly, after all, he was her senior officer. "I mean, Sir. Is there… anything wrong?" She asked.

"No," Data replied simply. "I am sorry that I did not assist you earlier."

"What? What do you mean?" She asked, a little confused with what he had just said.

Data explained what he meant, "You asked me for help when analysing the warp coils four says ago, and I said I would help you, yet I did not."

"That doesn't matter. I completely forgot!" She said, smiling.

Data looked at her and took in everything that he saw. The welcoming smile; the long, dark brown hair; the bright blue eyes, outlined expertly in black. But, what perhaps stood out the most was her tone of voice. It was high pitched, but not so much that it was annoying. It was pleasant and friendly. Data thought to himself, if there was ever a female android created, they would be modelled on Leena. She was perfect. Every detail, however small, seemed to be perfect.

"Then," Data continued, "I believe the issue has been resolved."

She smiled, "I believe it has."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, but the silence was broken by Leena. "How many stars do you think there are?" She asked him.

"I do not know the exact amount, but I estimate that, in our galaxy alone, there are more than three hundred billion stars."

"Wow," Leena exclaimed. "That's a lot of stars."

"Indeed," Data said, in agreement with her. He looked at her. "Would it be appropriate for me to ask you something?"

She nodded and drank some of her drink. "Of course."

Data's yellow eyes darted from left to right for barely even a fraction of a second, and then he came out with his question, "Would you be available for a…" he was lost for words regarding what to call it. "…meeting?"

"A meeting?" She asked. She wasn't sure what he meant. She had an inkling, but she didn't want to overstep the mark.

He nodded. "I am not sure whether that was the appropriate term. Rendezvous?" He asked.

"Rendezvous?" She repeated. She was still confused.

Data's facial expression changed. It only altered a little, but, nonetheless, it still did. "I am at a loss as to what to call it. Perhaps… social engagement?" He asked.

She smiled. "When?"

"Tomorrow, at 1900 hours."

"That'd be great," she responded. "Oh, I never asked, how is Lal?"

He replied, "Lal is fine."

"That's good." She wasn't sure why she was still talking. Now, their conversation had just devolved and become more like innocent small talk. "Where would you like me to meet you?" She asked him.

Data obviously hadn't thought this far ahead. He honestly didn't think that it would go as well as it was. "Would my quarters be appropriate?" He finally came to a decision.

"Uh… yeah… of course. I look forward to it," she said, smiling. It was a complete shock, Data coming over to talk to her. She was, put simply, very confused. She was baffled.

"And…" Data added "…I am looking forward to our meeting too."


	10. Acquainting

Ensign Leena McAdams stared at herself in the mirror. She was examining herself; scrutinizing every single last aspect of her body. She hadn't been on a date with someone for quite a considerable amount of time. She was twenty-three now and hadn't been in a solid relationship with anyone since she was in high school. That was over five years ago. It's not a date! She had to keep reminding herself. She thought that, if it had been another male crewmember who had asked her to dinner, it would have probably been a date. But, this was Data, and Leena decided to think of it as more of a meeting with a friend. Could she even call him a friend? Obviously, they had known of each other's existence, but they definitely weren't all that close.

She looked deeply at her face. It was well sculpted and toned, but she noticed that there was something missing. She didn't have any makeup on. She always wore makeup, but never put a lot on. This time though, she did. First, she washed her face and then started to apply her foundation. Then, she put on her blush; only a little, which she applied to her cheekbones. The last thing she did was put on her eye makeup. First, she applied a thin strip of black eyeliner to her upper eyelid, and then coated her lashes in mascara. She looked at herself and then picked up her lipstick. It was light pink and glossy.

She walked over to her wardrobe and looked through the clothes. She realised that she didn't really have anything to wear. Flicking through the garments, she found some jeans, a few jackets and quite a lot of shoes. There was nothing she could see which would be appropriate for having dinner. Until, she caught sight of a light blue piece of fabric. She pulled it off of the hanger and studied it. It was quite long, but, at the same time, not too long; the hem fell directly in between her hips and her knees. She slipped it on and then looked at herself in the mirror one last time.

Satisfied with what she looked like, Leena asked, "Computer, what time is it?"

The plain and dull female voice of the computer answered her question, "1930 hours."

"Oh…" Leena was about to swear, but she managed to curb her tongue at the very last moment "…shoot." Her first data in five years and she was going to be late. She brushed her long dark hair and quickly made her way towards the turbolift. She stood inside and ordered the ship's computer to take her to the deck where Data's quarters where. When she arrived at the deck, after a few short moments, she walked quickly towards Data's quarters and pressed the comm panel.

Hearing the panel emit a short chirping sound, Data spoke the command, "Come."

The door slid open almost immediately and Leena walked in. "I'm sorry, commander. I lost track of the time," she blurted out the apology.

Data shook his head a little, "An apology is not necessary," he said.

She looked at what he was wearing; his uniform. His usual Starfleet issue garb. Although he had obviously not changed into anything else, it did look as though he had put a lot of effort in to making himself look nice.

"Please," Data said, "Sit down."

Leena smiled and then sat down on the large grey sofa. "So…" she said, trying to stop an awkward silence before it arrived "…where's Lal?"

"Lal's teacher told me that she was exceeding expectations in her English class, so Lal has been enrolled in a higher education course for Literature and Language."

"That's great. Good for her," Leena replied. "So, what are we going to have for dinner?" She asked.

Data cocked his head to one side. Leena could tell that he was confused. Nevertheless, Data answered with, "I was not aware that we were going to have dinner."

Leena cursed herself. She knew she was being ridiculous, Data probably just invited her over so that they could talk about something. But, deep down, she just knew that that couldn't realistically be the case. If Data needed help with something to do with engineering, he would ask Geordi La Forge. If he needed help concerning emotions or pyscoholgy, he would ask Deanna Troi. If he was injured in some way, he was ask Doctor Crusher. If he needed advice, he would ask Jean-Luc Picard. And, if he needed guidance regarding the opposite sex, he would surely ask Will Riker. But, he would have no such reason for needing to talk to Leena. At least, she couldn't really think of any.

Then, Leena added, "I just assumed, because, well… you invited me over here, and it's late. So, I thought we would have dinner. I guess I probably look pretty stupid wearing this dress!" She exclaimed and then slumped back in the chair.

Data walked over to her and said, whilst looking at her, "You do not look stupid."

She looked up and into his amber eyes, "I do. I know I do."

"I do not think so," he replied rather quietly.

"Do you want me to go?"

"I do not want you to go. There is no reason to," Data replied in a monotone voice.

Leena was quite taken aback, "Why not? I mean, there's really no point in me being here."

After a short moment of contemplation, Data had made his mind up and he sat down on the couch next to her. "Geordi made it apparent to me that I needed to socialize more."

"So?" She urged him on.

"That is all I have to say," he replied simply.

She thought for a moment. Then, she realised something. "If you don't mind my asking, commander, why where you in the holodeck?"

Data couldn't really get embarrassed, but, all the same, he wasn't entirely comfortable with telling her. Still, he did, "Lieutenant Barclay has assisted me in engineering a holodeck program in which I can try and develop how I socialize with others." He looked at Leena, but her expression was blank, so he carried on explaining, "Barclay said that the most preferable place to… meet new people is in a building which I believe is called a bar."

She couldn't help but smile. "Oh… I see. So, you were trying to… talk to people. Well, holographic people."

"Yes. To be more precise, women."

She let out a quiet giggle. She wasn't trying to be rude or make fun of him but she was imagined that it would be very awkward, and also a little amusing to see Data in a bar trying to talk to women. "How did it go?" She asked him. Her eyes widened with curiosity.

"It did not go well."

Her smile disappeared. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It was to be expected," Data replied. His voice was more quiet than usual and his yellow eyes flickered down to face the floor.

Leena frowned, unsure. "Why do you say that?" She asked.

"I have never been entirely confident when regarding social activities and engagements," he admitted, rather solemnly.

"I wouldn't say that."

"Really?" Data asked. His eyes widened and he looked at her.

She nodded in response. "Yes, of course. Besides, that's not what matters."

"May I ask… what is it that matters?"

"Well, in my opinion, I think it's only important that someone is kind and caring and thoughtful," she said, meaning every word of it.

He considered her judgement for a little while. "I feel as though I am in need of guidance when it comes to matters concerning relationships."

Leena had to admit, it was a little weird. Data was her senior officer and here she was, in his quarters, in the evening whilst he apparently asked her for relationship advice. Nonetheless, she couldn't realistically leave him in the dark, so she answered, "I may not be the best when it comes to relationships, but, I wouldn't mind it if you asked me. I've been around the block a few times."

"Thank you."

She, without really thinking, put her hand on his arm. She wasn't quite sure why, but she just did.

Data looked at her hand on his arm. He wasn't examining it or going over the situation again and again in his head, as he usually would. Instead, he was just looking at her hand. It was slender and smooth and there was a very light shade of pink nail varnish.

Leena broke the silence. It was already becoming quite awkward. "I wish I could paint like you. You're very good."

"Thank you. Although, I am, in a way, programmed to be artistic."

She smiled. "Perhaps you could teach me," she said, hoping that the answer would be yes.

After thinking about the question for a while, Data replied, "I would like that."

"You're very different to how people say you are," Leena observed.

Data cocked his head to the side, "How do people view me?"

She didn't want to say so, for fear that it would hurt his feelings. But, she had to keep reminding herself that he didn't have feelings. So, she told him, "They say that you're just cold… and mechanical."

"Am I not?" Data asked, a little confused.

She smiled and shook her head a little, "No." She then added, "At least, I don't think so."

He looked at her. Her facial features were complimented wonderfully by the level of lighting in the room and the air had something in it. It was a warm feeling that sent a strange sensation down his spine. He had some theories about what it was, but he couldn't tell for sure.

"Are you hungry?" Data asked, completely off subject.

She shook her head, "No, thank you. Anyway, it's late." She looked at the clock in Data's quarters and saw that it was past 2100 hours.

"See you tomorrow," Leena said as she stood up and walked over to the door.

Data followed her. "I will see you tomorrow in engineering."

She nodded and then left.


	11. Dinner?

Geordi La Forge frowned at the android who was stood in front of him. "Data? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Data looked at him, rather confused. "Why would there be?" He asked.

"Did you go and talk to that ensign?" He asked his friend.

"I did," Data replied. He cast his gaze away from Geordi and kept his attention firmly on examining the warp core.

Geordi had so many questions to ask Data, but he didn't want to seem to be overly interested. That would just be a little too weird. Nevertheless, he asked him one question, "So? How did it go?"

"I believe it went sufficiently," Data replied, his attention still on the Enterprise's diagnostics systems.

Geordi didn't have anything else to say in return to that. He just smiled and chuckled quietly to himself.

A few minutes had passed and then someone walked into main engineering, it was Lal. She made her way over towards Data. "Father?"

Data looked up from his work. He was taken completely and utterly by surprise. He was not expecting Lal to be there. "Lal? You do not have clearance to be here."

"I'm sorry, father, but I needed to ask you something," she said quietly.

Data ordered the computer to carry on with the diagnostic and the stood up to speak to his daughter properly. "Is there anything the matter?"

"No, not as such."

Data frowned. "What is it you wish to see me about, then?" He asked.

At that moment, Lal's facial expression was one of relief and joy. "I got the results for my English Literature assessment."

Although Data could quite obviously tell that she had received a good grade, he still was sure that he should ask her, so he did. "How did you perform?" He asked.

"I got an A+," she exclaimed, smiling broadly.

Data considered this for a moment. He scanned his positronic matrix for something containing information regarding the phrase 'A+'. Finally, after a few seconds of searching, he found the appropriate file. "Ah," he announced. "Well done."

"Thank you," Lal said, her voice very high pitched. "My teacher said I was the best in the class."

All of a sudden, Data felt something. But, it wasn't an emotion, it was pride. Pride in his daughter. "I am very proud of you, Lal," he told her.

She thanked him once again, "Thank you. I have a Mathematics class now, so I should go."

Data said goodbye to his daughter and then continued with his work. This, doing engine diagnostics, was the sort of thing that would bore most men so much that they would feel like death itself, but to Data, it was life. There were no preferences when it came to working.

Her shift in engineering was almost over and Leena decided that now was as good a time as any. She was going to get up from her chair to go and talk to Data, but, as soon as she had stood up, she saw that Data was walking towards her. She tried to make herself appear busy, so it wouldn't seem like she was expecting his arrival.

"Ensign," Data said firmly, "Have you completed your analysis of the nacelles yet?"

She looked at him, and the disappointment in her face was quite visible. Still, she managed to rely, "Almost."

Data was about to walk away, but then opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else. But, he closed it again. Then, he had finally come to a decision about what to say, "I would like to amend my wrong doings from last night."

"Wrong doings? What do you mean?"

"I did not make you dinner."

She laughed, "Oh, that!"

"Would you… like to… have dinner?" He stuttered out the words. He wasn't very accomplished at this sort of thing. She only person he had really asked for advice was Lieutenant Reginald Barclay, and Data was really starting to regret doing that.

She was stunned with his request, "Uh… yes. Yes, of course!" She then realised that her response probably sounded a little too pleased. "Where would you like to meet then?"

"I will leave that decision to you."

"Oh, well, my quarters are very messy." She tried to think of somewhere else. She didn't really mind, as long as it wasn't Ten Forward. It wasn't very private there.

"In that case," Data proposed, "would my quarters be suitable? At 1900 hours again?"

She nodded, "I should imagine so."

Data then walked away and continued with his work. Leena, however, was finding it quite difficult to get back to work now. She was already planning ahead. In the end, she managed to refocus her attention on the warp nacelles and she carried on with what she was supposed to be doing.


	12. Movies

Data checked his appearance in the mirror. He had had a suit replicated and was just straightening his tie. He had only ever had to wear something that was considerably smart once. And, that was over a year ago. That was at the wedding of Keiko and Miles O'Brien. That was also when he had decided to learn how to dance from Beverly Crusher, the Enterprise's chief medical officer.

He walked over to the food replicator and ordered two meals. It was pasta; Carbonara. He gently set out the cutlery; two knives and two forks.

Captain Picard, a few years ago, had returned to his family vineyard in LaBarre, France. That was because he needed time to recover and recuperate from his rather unfortunate and terrifying encounter with the Borg. To say thank you to his fellow crewmembers and friends, he had each given them vintage wine from the Picard vineyard. It was brewed in twenty-two-sixty-seven, making it over one hundred years old. Data pulled out one of those bottles of wine from one of the few cabinets in the room and placed it squarely on the centre of the table, along with two glasses.

Finally, after a few last minute adjustments, Data was fairly pleased with what he had done. He stood around and waited patiently for Leena to arrive.

The chime on the door sounded a little later than the proposed 1900 hours meeting time. Leena was usually late for everything, no matter how hard she tried to be early, or even to be simply on time.

"Come," Data called out the command and the door opened.

Leena walked in, "Hey, commander." It sounded very weird to call him that. She wanted to call him by his first name, but she thought it was wrong as she was only an ensign.

Data seemed to pick up on this, "Hello. You may call me Data."

"Oh," Leena said, taken by surprise. "You can call me Leena, then. I mean, if that's all right."

Data nodded, "Yes that is fine."

"Sorry I'm wearing the same thing," she said as she looked down at what she had on. It was the same blue dress.

"Do not apologize. The dress compliments you very much."

She was flattered, "Oh, thank you."

Data pulled out a chair and signalled for her to sit down. Recognising the gesture, Leena sat down on the chair and Data walked over to the replicator to collect the two dishes. He laid them on the table and sat down opposite her.

"This looks very nice," Leena said, as she looked at the food. "What is it?"

Data pushed the food around his plate a little, "I believe it is called Carbonara."

Leena realized what it was, "Oh, yeah. Its pasta, isn't it? I love pasta."

Data picked up the wine and poured some in her glass. He then poured some in his own.

"I didn't know you drank," she observed.

He acknowledged her, "Usually, I do not."

She smelt it and then took a sip. The taste of it was wonderful. She had been on this ship for almost five years and she hadn't had real wine in all that time. "This is wonderful," she said, "You didn't replicate it, did you?" She asked, needing to satisfy her suspicions.

"Captain Picard gave it to me. It is from his family vineyard. Did you know that?"

She shook her head and swallowed some of her Carbonara. "I didn't, but you can tell the captain that it's very nice."

Data nodded. He continued to poke the food around on his plate. He rarely ever ate, for, he had no need to. He was entirely capable of eating, but he just didn't need to. He had never actually eaten pasta before, so he carefully placed it in his mouth and began to chew. He chewed the small mouthful too much and then decided that it was the right to time to swallow it.

After a few minutes, the ensign exclaimed, "There's meat in this!" She held up her fork which had a tiny sliver of bacon attached to it.

Data was slightly shocked by her sudden outburst, "Is that a problem?"

She tried to scrape the tiny piece of meat off of her fork and pushed to the edge of her plate with a rather disgusted face. "I'm a vegetarian," she explained.

Data knew what this meant, "I am sorry."

"Don't be, I don't think I ate any of it."

"It is only replicate, though. It is not real meat," Data reminded her.

"I know, but it's just the idea of even eating something like meat."

Data tried to make amends for it, "I could replicate something else, if you like."

"Don't worry, I don't want to be annoying. I'll just have to avoid the meat," she said, smiling.

"If you are comfortable with that," Data added.

"Besides," Leena said, "this is too nice to let it go to waste."

And, after a few more minutes, they had both finished their food. Data had drank all of his wine, but Leena still had half of hers left. Noticing she hadn't finished it all, she drank the remainder at once.

"Would you like some more wine?" Data asked as he lifted the bottle.

She nodded and then held up her glass, "Please."

Data obeyed and poured the wine into her glass and then into his.

She stared into her glass for a short while, whirling it around. She drank it, but only half of it. She didn't want to drink too much.

"Do you not want the remainder of you drink?" Data asked.

She shook her head and then placed the glass back onto the table. "No, thank you. I don't want to get drunk." Then, she had a question on her mind, "Can you get drunk?"

"I cannot become intoxicated by alcohol, no."

"You're lucky," she said, smiling

"Lucky?"

"Yes."

Data stood up and took the plates and cutlery away from the table. He then removed the glass and the bottle of wine. He put the wine bottle back in the cabinet from which he had gotten it from.

"Leena?" He began.

She brushed her hair away from her face "Yes?"

Data had been asking Reginald Barclay for some advice regarding relationships, not the wisest of choice. But, Data decided to use one of the things which Barclay had suggested; asking questions. "Do you have any preference regarding cinema?" He asked.

Leena stood up and walked over to him, "I do. I like mostly romance," she replied, smiling broadly.

"Intriguing," Data said.

"My favourite movie is called Titanic." Leena added.

Data searched his memory for something about that movie, but he couldn't seem to find anything. "I am not familiar with that movie," he admitted.

"You'd probably not be interested in it," she replied simply.

"On the contrary, I am very much interested in learning new things about humans. I would be very grateful if I could learn more about human pastimes, so that I could enhance my understanding of how to socialize."

Leena smiled. He was very endearing. "If I had a copy, I'd lend it to you. But, I've only got it on something called…" she tried to remember "…DVD."

"Ah," Data knew what she was talking about, "A digital versatile disk."

"Yes, but, the problem is that I can't play it. There's no DVD players anymore," she pointed out.

Data thought for a moment and then stood up and walked over to his computer. He bent over and searched for 'Titanic'. In less than a few seconds or so it came up in the results. He flicked through the search results. Many of them were to do with the real life ship, Titanic, which crashed into an iceberg over four hundred and fifty years previously. Finally, he found the result relating to the movie. "The movie is stored in the database," he called over to Leena.

"Really? I never knew that!" She exclaimed.

Data nodded and then selected the movie. He ordered the computer to play the movie. He brought the small laptop-like computer over to the small coffee-table which was in front of the couch and put it down.

Leena walked over to him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I thought, perhaps, you would like to watch it now," Data answered.

She sat down on the couch, "Yes, I would. That's very thoughtful of you."

Data's face showed the slightest flicker of a smile.

"Aren't you going to watch it with me?" She asked him once she noticed that he was still standing up.

He sat down next to her and the movie began. She shuffled over a little so that she and Data were closer.

Soon, after over two hours, the end of the film began. And, Leena knew, all too well, that her most hated part of it was due to begin. The last few minutes of the movie started to play. Leena felt her eyes starting to water as she saw one of the main characters, Jack Dawson, live his last moments. She watched intently as she saw his head keep slipping under the ice cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. She wanted desperately for him to not die, but she knew he had to. It was a movie, and there was no way she could change the ending of it.

Data saw the tears falling from Leena's eyes. "Are you upset?"

"Sorry," Leena said as she wiped her eyes delicately. She didn't want her makeup to run. That would be just awful. But, as soon as she had wiped those tears away, the onscreen hero succumbed to the intense cold and perished. More tears filled her eyes. She leant her head on Data's shoulder as she tried to sniff back the tears. And, for some reason, she hugged Data. She needed some support. It was ridiculous, she knew that, but still, she did it.

"Leena? Are you… all right?" He asked her, concerned.

She wiped her eyes again. "I'm…" she sniffed "… I'm… fine. Sorry, I've seen this movie so many times before. I just get upset every single time."

Data just looked at her. He couldn't see her face as she was still resting her head on his shoulders. He just put his arm around her, rather awkwardly. "Whilst this was based on a true event," he said, "these characters are fictional," he tried to comfort her.

"I know that," she said. She then lifted her head up off of his shoulder. "Sorry," she apologized again, "for leaning on you… and for hugging you."

"I do not mind," Data replied, "There is no need to apologize."

She smiled, or, at least, tried to.

"You should not watch things which make you upset," Data advised her.

"I know," she replied, smiling a little. "Maybe I should go now," she suggested.

Data cocked his head to one side, "Why?"

"It's late, I suppose," she answered.

"Would you… like a tissue?" He asked her. He could see the tears in her eyes.

"Thank you."

Data went and retrieved some tissues. He wasn't entirely sure why he had some, but, he did. He handed one over to Leena. She smiled and took it and dabbed her eyes with it. She saw what she guessed was a bin and put the tissue in it.

"That was very thoughtful of you," she said.

"Could you be more specific?" Data asked politely.

"You let me watch the movie with you," she replied.

"Oh… it was my pleasure." It was just a figure of speech, for him. He couldn't experience pleasure.

She smiled, "Thank you," she said once again. She walked over to Data, "I mean it, thank you. That movie means so much to me. My father… died at sea," she revealed.

Data wasn't sure exactly how to respond. "I am sorry," he decided on saying.

"Don't be. It was his own stupid fault, really. Mother told him to enlist in Starfleet, but he wanted to stay at sea…" she trailed off at the end. It felt like there was something stuck in her throat. She wiped her eyes and sniffed again. "Anyway, I'm probably boring you," she said.

"You are not boring me," Data said. He walked up to her and stood squarely in front of her. "In fact, it is quite intriguing."

"Well, anyway, I'll go. I'll probably see you tomorrow or something." She kissed him on the cheek. It was cold and strange. She had never felt so strange before. She held the kiss for slightly longer than usual and then stepped away.

Data felt a compulsion to reach up and touch his cheek. But, he did not, for fear that it would erase the tingling sensation that the kiss had sent through him. He stared at her, basically lost for words.

"Sorry," she said, "Maybe I shouldn't have done that."

Data cocked his head to one side. He was should I proceed? He thought to himself, over and over again. Finally, he made up his mind and kissed her on the lips very softly. She could hardly feel it, yet it still happened. Once again, the sensation triggered something inside of Data.

"Goodbye, Data," Leena said defiantly.

He saw her walk towards the door. "Goodbye."


	13. Counselling

Data walked down the corridors of the USS Enterprise-D. He had something on his mind, and it had been there for quite a long time. He needed to talk to someone. But, not just anyone, he needed to talk to someone who was a professional in these sorts of matters. And, that person was Deanna Troi.

After a few more moments, he came to the counsellor's office and pressed the comm panel which was on the side of the wall. He waited for her response to come.

"Come in," Deanna's voice rang out over the comm.

Data waited for the grey door to slide open in front of him and then he walked into the office. He noticed a chair and signalled to it. "May I?"

Deanna nodded and Data sat down.

After putting her glass of water down on the table in front of her, Deanna asked, sounding, "Data, what is it?"

"I am not entirely sure, counsellor, but I am experiencing what may be referred to as…" he paused for a little while, to gather his thoughts "…relationship issues." He appeared to be a little embarrassed once he had finished his sentence.

Deanna smiled at him. "I never knew that you were… in a relationship," she answered.

"I am not sure whether I am or not," he pointed out.

"Well, what is it that has led you to believe that you are in a relationship?" She asked. She was very interested, and that interest was certainly beginning to show through in her tone of voice.

Data leant forward and then attempted to reply to her question. "Are you familiar with ensign McAdams?" He asked.

"I am, yes. Why do you ask?"

"We had…" He started to drone off at the end of his answer.

Deanna frowned. She was wondering what he was going to say next.

Data then picked up again "…We had dinner."

"Data!" Deanna exclaimed, her voice high pitched and rather congratulatory. "How did it go?"

Data gathered that at least three, if not, more, people had asked him how his interactions with women had gone. And, that was only in the past few days or so. However, he didn't want to be rude. He was never rude, at least, when he could help not to. "It went without any difficulty."

"So, you think that, just because you had dinner, that you're now in a relationship?" Deanna enquired.

"There was not only dinner," Data said, elaborating further on his point.

"Oh?" Deanna cocked her head to one side. Now, she was getting even more interested.

Data's eyes flickered a little. He looked around the room; at the floor, then at Deanna, then towards the door, and then at Deanna again. "We kissed."

"Well," Deanna said, "I guess that does mean there is a relationship." And, although it did sound rather weird, she couldn't help but admit it. Datawas in a relationship. "Anyway," she said, "what was it that you wanted to talk with me about?"

"I am in need of some advice concerning the topic."

She smiled. "You may need to be a little more specific."

"What would be an appropriate course of action to take after two people have had dinner together and engaged in watching a motion picture?"

Deanna thought about that question. She was expecting something like that, but not exactly that. "What do you think would be appropriate?" She asked him.

"I would suggest another evening of dinner, to ensure that the participants are intent on pursuing the relationship."

"That's what I would say," Deanna replied.

Data processed this information and decided that it sounded like a suitable course of action to take. "Thank you, counsellor."

She smiled, "You're very welcome. But, Data?"

"Yes, counsellor?"

"Are you sure that ensign… McAdams wants to continue this… relationship?"

"I am not sure. Perhaps I will ask her," Data decided.

Deanna nodded. "Yes, that would be good."

Data thanked the counsellor and then left her office. He felt a little better now. His mind was somewhat more at rest than it had been before he had come to see her. However, he was still not entirely convinced that he was doing the right thing. Nonetheless, he had made his mind up. There was something different about McAdams, about Leena. He wasn't quite sure what it was but he was fond of it.

Smelling the flowers, he wasn't too sure. They didn't smell quite right. Sure, the replicator could create any sort of object, as long as it wasn't alive. However, Data did manage to replicate some flowers. Of course, they weren't real flowers, they were fake. The replicator hadn't done a very good job of replicating the smell of the flowers. He pressed the comm panel outside of what were Leena McAdam's quarters and waited for her to answer.

The door slid open, but only after quite a considerable delay. Leena had an expression of surprise written all over her face once she saw who was on the other side of the door. She was lying on the floor and doing sit ups.

Data walked in and stared at her. "Sorry, I did not realise you were busy. I will go."

Leena sat up and got to her feet. She carefully combed her hair back with her fingers and then stretched a little. "No, don't go. I've finished now."

"But, you were half way through exercising when I entered…" Data observed.

Leena cut him off, "It doesn't matter. Anyway, what's that behind your back?" She asked as she pointed towards him.

Data pulled out the flowers and handed them over to her. "I apologize if they are not to your liking."

She smelt them. They didn't carry any particular aroma and she could quite obviously tell that they had been replicated, but she didn't tell him that. "Thank you, they're lovely." She walked over to a table and placed the flowers in a vase.

"Leena, I need to ask you something," Data said quietly and rather timidly.

She frowned, not being able to think of what it could be. "Oh? What is it?"

"Are you comfortable with the pursuance of this relationship?"

"Relationship?" Leena repeated. "I wasn't really thinking of this as a relationship." She didn't really mean to say that out loud.

"Then, may I ask, what were you thinking it was?" Data enquired, confused.

She walked over to him. "If I'm honest, I'm not really sure."

"Does that mean that you wish to terminate our… liaisons?" He asked.

"No!" She shot back, rather too loudly. "Of course not," she added, this time, her voice was quieter and more neutral sounding.

Data looked down at her, for she was at least a head shorter than he was. He concentrated at her eyes. He could almost feel the warmness of her, although they weren't even touching. He examined how her brunette hair complimented her complexion and bright aquamarine eyes.

Leena did the same. She had always liked Data for a long time. Ever since they first joined the Enterprise during their mission to Farpoint Station over five years ago, she had been attracted to him. She wasn't really sure why she was though. She gathered that it was because he was king and thoughtful.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Leena asked.

He gestured to the flowers on the table. "To give you the roses."

"There was more, wasn't there?" She prompted.

"I have been to see counsellor Troi," Data revealed. "She suggested that we have dinner together again."

She smiled. "Oh, and I guess that means I'm cooking!"

"I did not intend for that. I will prepare the meal if you would rather…"

"I was joking," she replied, laughing a little. "Anyway, the replicators will do all the cooking for me," she pointed out. "Are you hungry now?" She asked.

He knitted his brows together for a short while. "I do not feel hunger."

She decided that it was probably the nerves getting to her. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"May I ask you another question?" Data asked.

"Sure, what is it?" She sat down on the couch.

"Recently, I have been accessing some of my files containing information about Bruce Maddox's belief that I am not alive." He paused before continuing again. "Do you think I am… alive?"

"Of course I do," she replied, smiling.

"However," Data continued, "my recent attempts at copying human behaviour have not proved so successful."

She walked over to him and knelt beside the couch where Data was sat. She looked up at him and he subsequently lowered his amber eyes. "You are better than a human will ever be," she observed.

"I understand that, but it is my wish to become human," he replied.

"Well then, look at it this way. You are what every human should strive to be. If every man were like you, then there would be no wars, no greed, and no wrong-doing. The world would be perfect. Every man should want to emulate you, it shouldn't be the other way round." She placed her hand comfortingly on his knee.

Data still wasn't really sure. "In what way would someone who is human, and who can experience emotions, want to be me?" He asked.

"You're caring and thoughtful. Plus," she added, grinning a little, "you're a hit with the ladies."

Data frowned. "Am I?" He asked for a clarification.

"Yup," she replied simply.

"But…" Data hesitated "…I am not handsome."

"No, not in the conventional sense," she replied and then sat down on the couch next to him.

Data turned and looked at her. Her eyes were partially closed, but his were open. He calculated that she was moving towards him, but his eyes were open. He leant in, as he felt as though it was the correct thing to do, and their lips touched. Only briefly, but still, they touched. As Leena pulled herself away from the kiss she opened her eyes fully and looked at him.

Data could say nothing. He could do nothing, but stare.

Leena's gaze was fixed on his face. She wasn't sure what it was. But, there was something about his golden skin and his warm, yellow eyes that just drew her in. She then noticed that his facial expression changed. Small, yet visible lines had appeared underneath his eyes. She wondered what they were and what they meant. But, in the end, she gathered that they probably weren't all that important and that they were probably just because he was confused, which was true. She reached up and smoothed the lines; his cold skin feeling strange against her dainty fingers.

Data leaned his head closer towards her and his expression became slightly quizzical. But, he wasn't actually confused. He knew what was happening. He touched his lips to hers and, once again, he could sense her warmth. It was a sensation which he had missed. He had never felt anything similar for at least a year, with Jenna D'Sora. He noted that, as they were kissing, his body temperature raised around two point four three degrees.


	14. Sci-Fi

Data craned his neck over the table. He was trying to see what Lal was reading. He wasn't really sure that she was reading, but the rapid movement of her eyes seemed to suggest that she was. And, going by her many different facial expressions, Data could easily tell that she was rather enjoying whatever it was that she was reading. However, Data was curious, he had always been curious. So, he had to ask her what she was up to.

"Lal?" Data asked as he put down his PADD on the table. "What are you reading?"

She put down her book, the cover facing downwards. "How did you know I was reading?" She asked curiously.

"I simply recorded the direction of you eye movement and therefore was able to—"

Lal cut him off. Even though she did care for him, she really didn't care for all of his lengthy and overworked explanations. "Try and see if you can guess what I'm reading," she suggested with a sly grin on her face.

Data thought for a while, before coming to a decision. He examined the book, but he couldn't really see it all that well from the angle he was at. "I will comply," he replied. "Judging by the fact that the text you are currently reading is printed on bound paper, I will assume that it is at least a few centuries old."

"Yes, you're right so far," Lal said.

"What genre is the book?" Data asked.

She shook her head and then took the book away from the table and put it on her lap, so to be sure that Data couldn't see it. "You tell me," she replied simply and rather unhelpfully.

"I presume it is a work of fiction."

"Yes."

"Is it a detective story?" Data asked inquisitively.

She laughed a little. "I knew you were going to say that!"

"Am I correct?" Data asked her.

"No."

"If it is not a detective story, then is it romance?"

Again, Lal chuckled quietly. "No, it's not. I don't think my English Literature teacher would want us all to read that sort of thing!"

Data understood what she said, but not all that well. He continued guessing. "Is it science fiction?" He asked.

Lal frowned and sighed. She looked annoyed, and she was, a little. "Okay, you win," she said, smiling. "However, do you know what the book is?"

"That would take an inordinate amount of time to calculate. There are so many variables."

"Fine," she decided, "Who is the author? There really can't be that many human authors of science fiction."

He shook his head. "On the contrary, the majority of science fiction originating from the Alpha and Beta Quadrants are from Earth. The planet experienced a surge in the genre in the mid nineteenth century, which lasted until the early twenty-first century."

Lal had almost forgotten about the quiz she was challenging her father with. "Why did it stop?"

"World War Three of the planet Earth caused so many deaths that the literary and educational sects of the planet were simply destroyed and abandoned. There was no longer a need for someone to be able to read, speak or write. Soldiering was of a higher priority. In addition, when humanity experienced its first recorded First Contact with another species—"

"Vulcans," Lal interjected.

Data continued. "—there was no longer a need for science fiction. What was once fiction, such as faster than light travel and extra-terrestrial life, was now a reality and no longer exciting."

Suddenly, Lal realised they had gotten a little off track. "Anyway, as interesting as that was, you still have to guess who the author is."

"I will try, however, it may take some time," Data said as he furrowed his brow and tried to think of who the author could be. He had so many names whirling around in his head, that he didn't know which one to say. Then, he realised that saying one was as good a guess as saying any other, technically speaking, so he chose a name. "Arthur C. Clarke?"

Lal shook her head. "No."

"H.G. Wells?"

"No," Lal replied again.

Data thought some more, this time harder. "Jules Verne?"

Lal shook her head again.

"Philip K. Dick?" Data said, but then he saw Lal sigh and he gathered that he was incorrect again. He gave it another go. "George Orwell?"

Lal smiled and shook her head. "No."

Finally Data said the name which he had been saving for a long time. He thought it had the highest chance of being correct. "Isaac Asimov?"

Lal nodded and handed over the book to her father. Data studied it carefully and then read the blurb of the book. "Why are you reading this?" He asked.

"I asked my teacher for some recommendations and that was what she suggested. Have you read it before?"

He shook his head. "I have not read it, but I am familiar with the plotline," he said.

"Well, don't spoil it for me, then," she replied.

Data had another fact tucked up his sleeve. "It was Asimov who first proposed the idea of a positronic brain in an artificially intelligent being."

"I know," Lal nodded.


	15. Arts

"I didn't know you painted," Leena McAdams observed as she walked around in Data's quarters. She was stood squarely in front of a piece of artwork which didn't really look like much. It was a simply square canvas which was covered in black lines. In between some of the lines, in fact, most of the lines, there were colours. Primary colours. She gestured to that specific painting as she rubbed her chin a little, musing about nothing in particular.

Data walked over towards her and the painting. "It is not originally by myself," he admitted. "It is by a Dutchman called Piet Mondrian," he stated the facts to her.

Leena frowned. She wasn't really sure if it could constitute a piece of artwork. It seemed to be too simple. But, she guessed that that was the style of the painting. Then, she had some sort of realisation. "Ooh!" She exclaimed in a struggled and high pitched tone of voice. "Isn't it called…" she trailed off as she began to lose her train of thought. Then, she found it again "…Table something or other?"

"You are almost correct," Data replied with a strange look on his face. Table?

Leena was actually astounded. She only had some vague recollection of this painting because she remembered seeing it in a museum at least ten years ago. "Really?"

"If by 'Table', your meaning was 'Tableau', then I would say that constitutes a correct response."

"Oh, of course!" She explained as she suddenly realised what she had said. "Tableau is French for Table!"

Data nodded in agreement. "Yes. However, the full name of this artwork is called Tableau I with Red, Black, Blue and Yellow."

"But," Leena began as she walked over to another painting which was placed a few metres away. "I prefer this one," she said as she pointed to it. It was of something very much akin to a wormhole. "It makes me think of the sun peaking defiantly through the clouds that darken the majority of the painting." She looked over at Data who was stood a few steps away. "This one's much better."

Data gave her an obviously programmed looked of gratitude. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Leena replied, smiling broadly.

Data walked up towards her, so that they were facing. He looked down into her cobalt eyes. Leena looked up into his. "Are you all right, Data?" She asked him with a marginally worried look on her face.

"I am fine. Has something led you to believe otherwise?" He asked her.

She shook her head and smiled, "Oh, no, no." She put her hand to his face and stroked it gently. Data felt a shudder travel down his spine. It was a peculiar and unusual sensation, but he liked it.

"Are you interested in music?" He asked her.

She held her hand onto his face and laughed a bit, "I am, a little." She then cast her gaze over to the other side of the room and saw what she suspected was a dark blue violin case on the table. "I guess you play then?" She asked inquiringly.

It took Data a little while to figure out what she was talking about, but when he noticed that she was looking at the violin, he realised. "I do."

"Perhaps, you could show me," she suggested as she walked over to where the violin was and handed it over to Data.

Data took it from her hands and began to unpack the instrument from its case. He took out the small cushion and gently secured it to the neck of the violin. Then, he plucked the strings, trying to see if it was still in tune. It was. He placed the glossy, wooden instrument to his shoulder and held the bow aloft.

"Is there anything you would like me to play?" He asked.

She sat down on a chair and faced him. "I don't mind. You can choose."

Data had been thinking about this for quite some time. He had chosen the piece which he was going to play, but he wasn't entirely sure whether or not it would be a good idea to play it. At last, he decided on what to play and drew his bow. He brought it over across the neck of the violin and the smooth sound soon followed.

Leena had no idea what the song was called. She had always held a reasonably high level of respect for classical music, but she was certainly no expert. She, like most other people, had never heard what Data was playing, but she found it to be enthralling. She was trying to deduce who the composer could be. She knew that there was next to no hope of her working it out; the only classical composers she had heard of were Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. Nevertheless, she was trying to remain concentrated at the music. However, it was too mesmerising. Her mind began to drift in and out of reality. It had a certain tinge of romance to it. The combination of the short high pitched sounds and the longer, lower pitched sounds. It sounded sad, yet happy and the same time. Full of hope. That was what romance was.

After around five minutes, Data held the final note for a long time and then put the violin to one side. He took a bow. Leena smiled as she watched him. It was endearing how he actually bowed to her. She wondered if she should curtsy, but she managed to refrain from doing so. She stood up and walked over to Data.

"That was wonderful!" She exclaimed with delight. "I had no idea you were so talented! What was that piece called?"

Data smiled at her. It was only programmed, and she knew that, but that didn't really matter. "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," he replied, speaking with an impeccable German accent.

"Well, it was very good. I especially liked the middle part," she said.

He cocked his head to one side. "What would you classify as being the 'middle part'?" He enquired.

She wasn't sure how to put it into words. "It sounded a bit like… I don't really know how to describe it."

"The four movements are entitled 'Allegro', 'Romanze', 'Menuetto' and 'Rondo'," Data added, trying to help her.

She smiled appreciatively. "That doesn't really help. But, I think the part I was thinking about was called 'Romanze'."

Data's face twitched a little. He wasn't uncomfortable, but he wasn't exactly comfortable either. "Thank you," he said.

The corners of her mouth raised a little. It wasn't a big smile, but it was definitely there. She put her arms around his neck and looked deep into his amber coloured eyes. Data tried to make his expression look as neutral as he was able to, but he couldn't help cover up the fact that he was a little apprehensive. Leena leant her head forwards and Data did the same. He put his hands around her waist and waited for their lips to touch. Once again, he savoured every moment of it. The sensation was not new to him, but it was different. He felt Leena pull away and he instantly wanted to put his lips to hers again, but he gathered that it wasn't really appropriate and he let her go.

Data felt her slip her hand into his and he felt a new sensation. He looked down at it and tried to memorize every single detail. The long, elegant digits, the light pink nail polish…

"Data?" Leena interrupted his train of thought. "Should we go to Ten Forward or something?" She then realised something, "Oh, wait, what about Lal?" She asked.

Data's expression was completely blank.

"You haven't told her about… us, have you?" Leena asked him, sounding appalled.

He shook his head somewhat. "No, Lal is aware of our relationship," he replied bluntly.

"Oh," she said softly. "Well, where is she then?"

"Lal told me she wanted to spend some more time in the Holodeck, but she made it imperative that I did not accompany her."

Leena frowned. It seemed a little weird, but she decided to let it go.

"Yes," Data replied. "We can go to Ten Forward."


	16. Assistance

The ensign studied her PADD with a rather confused look on her face. She sighed and glanced around, trying to look at all of main engineering. She was secretly hoping that someone else there would be as perplexed as she was. However, she couldn't see anyone who matched that description, or, who even came close.

On the other side of main engineering, Geordi La Forge jabbed his shoulder playfully into Data's arm. Data was confused as to why he did that. ''Geordi, is there something the matter?'' Data asked, concerned with his friend's sudden movement.

The chief engineer of the USS Enterprise returned a friendly smiled. ''No, I'm fine, Data. But…'' he craned his neck over the android to see the puzzled face of ensign McAdams over in the other part of engineering ''… it appears that McAdams is not so good.''

Data frowned at Geordi's strange observation. ''Why?'' He asked, confusedly.

''Just look at her,'' Geordi said, ''she doesn't have a clue about what she's doing.''

Looking over at the young ensign who was sat next to the analytical console, Data could easily see that she didn't really know what it was she was supposed to be doing. Data nodded in answer to Geordi's correct observation and then proceeded to walk over to McAdams. He positioned himself beside her. ''Is there anything which you do not understand?'' He asked her.

She frowned and put her PADD down on top of the large grey console, making a thud as she did so. She sighed and looked up at Data. ''There is. I have no idea what it is I'm supposed to be doing,'' she admitted, a little ashamed and embarrassed.

Data knitted his brows together. ''Where you not briefed on what to do?'' He inquired.

She shook her head and glanced back down at the console. ''No, well, not really.''

Once again, Data frowned. He didn't know what she meant. Seeing his plainly confused expression, she attempted to explain it slightly better to him. ''Lieutenant Broccoli…'' she cut herself off, mid-sentence ''I mean, Barclay, had to go to sickbay. He said he had some sort of Rigellian flue or something like that. So, he just… left me here to try and sort this out.''

''Did he not give you the information required to carry out such a task?'' Data asked.

Shaking her head, she answer, 'He briefed me, but I didn't really understand it.''

''Why did you not ask someone for their assistance, before asking me?'' Data put yet another question to her.

''I don't know, I guess… I guess I was just a little worried. You see, you and Geordi were happily talking over there,'' she pointed to where the chief engineer was stood, staring at the ship's warp core,'' so I didn't want to get in your way.''

Data displayed a brief smile of sympathy and slight confusion. ''I am sure that lieutenant Freeman could have helped you. Or, failing that, ensign Morg,'' he said, gesturing to a tall, slim human male and a groggy looking Klingon close by.

''Could you help me, then?'' She asked him as she gave him the tricorder.

He took the tricorder from her but then placed it back on top of the console. ''I will not be needing this,'' he said.

''Oh,'' Leena McAdams replied. ''What is it that you need, then?''

He paused, thinking for a while about what it was. ''I just need to access the history logs of the Enterprise's warp coil use.''

She smiled and let him sit down beside her. Data did so and pulled up the access logs he wanted. Flicking through the many pages, he read almost as fast as a page every second or so. Finally, after a few moments of searching, he came across the most recent memory log for when the ship's warp coils were refitted. The date was only recent; a few weeks old.

Seeing Data's confused expression, Leena asked, ''What is it?''

''It appears that the warp coils are operating within normal parameters.''

She frowned. ''Oh, so, there was nothing wrong with them in the first place?'' She asked him, a little annoyed.

''It appears not. During the moments when the warp coils were being analysed, a brief pulse of energy passed through the ship,'' Data observed correctly.

She nodded in agreement. ''Oh, yes. I remember now. It was stardate…'' she paused, not able to remember the exact date. ''Well, never mind. But, thank you, Data,'' she said, smiling.

Data nodded and a he couldn't help but allow a slight smile to creep across his face. ''You are quite welcome.''

Just before he was about to leave, Leena caught his arm. ''Are you busy tonight?''

Data turned to look at her. ''No, I do not have any plans.''

''What about Lal?'' Leena asked, expectantly.

''Lal is enrolled in an additional English Literature and Language course, which she is attending today,'' Data replied.

''Oh, so, you are busy, then?'' Leena asked for a clarification, slightly disheartened by his response.

Data twitched a little. ''No, I am not busy. Was there a reason why you asked?''

She sighed. She and Data had been in some sort of relationship for at least a few weeks, but he was acting as if they barely knew each other. ''I was just wondering if you wanted to do something later.''

''Do something?'' He repeated, confused.

''Together,'' she clarified.

''What did you have in mind?'' Data asked.

She thought for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. ''Hmmm… how about Ten Forward?'' She asked.

Briefly, Data checked his memory logs. ''I do not have any more duty shifts today,'' he added.

''Ok, well, I'll be in Ten Forward around 2000 hours.''

He nodded. ''I will be there.''

She walked over so that she was a little closer to him and then placed her hands on each of his arms and stood on her toes to kiss him carefully on the cheek. Data smiled briefly and then went over to go and help Geordi.


	17. Sherlock

Data was sat down in Ten Forward, staring out of the large, floor to ceiling observation windows which he was sat next to.

''You look a bit confused, Data,'' Geordi observed.

Turning his gaze back to look at Geordi, Data answered, ''I do feel as though I am confused, Geordi,'' he admitted.

''Why's that?'' Geordi asked, interested and curious.

''I am supposed to be meeting ensign McAdams here in a few minutes, yet I am somewhat at a loss about what to do…'' he paused, before continuing ''… with her…''

The chief engineer chuckled at his friend's confusion and inexperience. ''I see,'' he replied, understandingly.

''Do you have any advice concerning the matter?'' Data inquired.

Geordi laughed, shaking his head. ''I can't say I do, no. But, what I say is to listen to her and what she wants.''

''Thank you, Geordi. I will take that advice into account.''

Then, Guinan came over and asked them for their orders, if they had any.

''What would you two like, then?'' The mysterious bartender inquired.

Data shook his head, ''No, thank you, Guinan.''

She nodded understandingly and then cast her gaze over at Geordi, who was sat opposite Data. ''And, you?'' she asked him.

''I'd better not,'' he said quietly, ''Data's expecting a friend, so I wouldn't want to impose.''

She smiled. ''A friend?''

Data nodded and stepped in to answer Guinan's question. ''Yes, ensign McAdams,'' he replied.

''Ah,'' she said smiling broadly and a little amusedly, ''a woman.''

Geordi smiled too as he looked at the blank expression of Data. ''Yeah, I know.''

Just at that moment, Guinan happened to look over at the entrance doors of Ten Forward, when she caught sight of ensign McAdams walking over. ''Looks like your date's here, Data,'' she said.

Data looked up and, sure enough, Guinan was right. Leena walked over and sat down next to Data. Guinan saw her cue and left to go and tend to bar and see if all of her other customers were quite content with their orders.

As soon as Guinan had left, Geordi stood up. ''Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone now.''

''Oh, no, don't leave on my account,'' Leena said abruptly.

He smiled. ''No, don't worry. I was going to leave anyway.''

''You know,'' Leena said to Data, ''I've been reading the most fascinating book.''

He nodded. ''Which book is that?''

''Well, it's not really a book. It's a holonovel,'' she said, admittedly.

''I find that I prefer to read books, rather than engage in holonovels,'' Data responded.

''Same here,'' Leena said. ''But, I still think holonovels are fun. And,'' she added, remembering his previous question, ''the holonovel is based on a book written by an old-Earth author named Sir Arthur Conan Doyle… I think.''

If he were a dog, his ears would've surely pricked up. ''Yes, I am familiar with that author. He wrote the Sherlock Holmes series.''

''That's it!'' She said, coming to a realisation. ''The book is about Sherlock! But, I can't for the life of me think of what it is called.'' She sighed, annoyed with herself.

''If you could describe to me the plot, I am sure I could deduce the title of the book,'' Data offered, helpfully.

She smiled gratefully. ''Ok… um…'' she tried to think of some of the basic points in the plot. ''Well, I'm sure Moriarty is featured.''

''There are two novels in which Professor Moriarty is featured,'' Data said, in need of more information for him to make his final judgement.

''And, there was something about the Reichenbach falls,'' she added as she thought harder.

Data nodded and smiled slightly. ''Yes, the book is called The Final Problem.'' He continued, ''It is the last book in the official Sherlock Holmes franchise.''

''I'm not reading them in order, though. I probably should. The last one I read was The Hound of the Baskervilles.''

''That is my preferred Sherlock Holmes novel, although I did think The Final Problem was also both engaging and informative.''

She frowned, disagreeing with Data's opinion. ''I think The Final Problem is actually quite boring, though.''

''Oh,'' Data replied quietly and rather half-heatedly. ''It does get more interesting once you reach the climax, in which Moriarty and Holmes both fall to their deaths.''

''What?!'' Leena's face went pale and she looked as though she might cry. Data could see the annoyance and frustration in her face.

''Leena?'' He asked tentatively. ''Are you all right?''

She sighed and managed to calm herself down. ''I haven't got that far into the book yet! I had no idea that Sherlock was going to die!''

''I am sorry, Leena,'' he quickly apologized, meaning every word of it.

She knew that she couldn't be angry at him for much longer. He was just to kind and polite and helpful. He wasn't to know that she hadn't yet finished the book. ''Don't worry. I am a slow reader.''

''I thought you said it was a holonovel?'' Data queried, a little confused at her comment.

She nodded and smiled, saying, ''I did, but I usually have to play some scenes over and over again, until I understand it fully.'' She blushed a little, embarrassed.

''Perhaps, I could accompany you to a holonovel… if you are unsure,'' he offered her some much needed help.

She smiled. ''Thank you, Data. But, it's getting late now, so I think I'd better turn in. They had been talking for over an hour and a half, and it was nearing ten o'clock at night. Leena stood up and, to her surprise, saw that Data was standing up too. ''You're not tired are you?'' She asked him, confused. She knew how human Data was, but she didn't really think that he was so human that he required sleep.

''I am not tired, but Geordi told me to think about what you want… during our encounters.''

She couldn't help but let a short but sweet giggle slip through her mouth. ''That's very sweet, but all I want now is some rest.''

Data nodded and his otherwise neutral expression became one which was actually more akin to someone being let down. ''I see,'' he replied as nonchalantly as he could.

''But, you can walk me to my quarters, if you like,'' she added, smiling.

After a moment of thinking and consideration, Data held out his hand. Respectively, Leena placed her hand in his and they soon arrived outside her quarters. ''Thank you for the, um, evening,'' she said, trying to think of what to call their latest rendezvous. It wasn't really a date, or a meal, so she called it whatever she thought was right to.

''You are welcome,'' Data responded quietly. Once the door had slid open, Data noticed that her quarters were very untidy. ''You appear to have an aversion to orderliness,'' he observed.

She smiled. ''I know, sorry about that. I have been trying to keep it tidy, but I'm apparently not very good at that. I kind of feel bad, because, the last time you came here, you tidied up for me.''

Data remembered. The previous time he had visited her quarters, he had colour coordinated all of her off-duty clothes and ordered her book collection alphabetically by author. ''Yes,'' he said in agreement. ''I would be happy to try and organise your quarters again.''

''Thank you,'' she smiled. ''I've never had any other boyfriend who wouldn't mind doing that.''

Inside, Data couldn't help but smile. It seemed, that he was correct in pursuing the relationship. It had reached another level. Then, he smiled a brief smile of satisfaction on the outside.

''I'll probably see you tomorrow,'' she said.

He thought for a moment, to see if her statement was valid. ''I have a shift on the bridge tomorrow, at Ops.''

''I'm at the Conn,'' she added. ''Next to you.''

Data, having been accustomed to living with humans for around the period of thirty years, had knowledge of what he should do next. And, even if there had been any doubt in his thinking, it was all surely erased when his sensory output systems informed him that Leena's hands were around his neck. He lowered his head and kissed her softly.

''Good night, Data,'' she said.

He nodded and replied, ''Good night.''


	18. Preoccupied

Studying her father's face very carefully, Lal could easily tell that he was confused. In fact, he seemed to be just about as confused as it gets. His brows were tightly knitted and his hands formed a rigid steeple as they rested upon the desk firmly. Data was staring at nothing in particular, or so it seemed that that was the case, at first glance. However, once she looked deeper and concentrated harder, Lal noticed that he was looking at the mirror which was tucked gently away behind one of the grey coloured storage boxes. Data was trying to stare into the mirror as discreetly as was possible, but Lal, being an android just like he was, was easily able to notice what he was doing.

At last, Lal decided that she had to do something. She decided to break the silence as subtly as she thought was possible to do. ''Father?" She asked gingerly as she stared further into his puzzled expression.

It took Data quite some time to reply. It seemed that he was simply too engrossed in his train of thought. Lal knew that he wouldn't be looking into the mirror simply for the pleasure of fulfilling his own selfish vanity. There was something more to it. Data blinked a little and then broke his train of thought and answered his daughter in a quiet tone of voice. "Yes, Lal. What is it?" He asked, still a little out of it.

"I'm fine, father," she said softly, trying to reassure him to the best of her ability. But, she wondered whether her ability was good enough. She hoped it was. "But…" she paused for a short while, in an attempt to try and gather her thoughts "… I am not sure if you are."

Data nodded and considered her words as carefully as he was able to and then simply nodded. He was simply at a bit of a loss regarding what exactly Lal was talking about. "I am fine, Lal," he replied quietly, almost inaudibly. "What is it that has lead you to believe otherwise?" He asked her, tentatively.

"You just seem a little preoccupied, that's all," Lal answered her father.

He tried his best attempt at a smile. But, it didn't really work. It was obviously meant to be a smile, but Lal wasn't quite sure what that smile meant. Was it a smile denoting that he was, in fact, actually fine? Or, was it a smile letting her know that he didn't want her to worry about something? Lal didn't really know the answer, and she didn't see any way that she could realistically gain a hold of that information. So, she decided to ask him what it was so she could know once and for all. "Is it something to do with you and ensign McAdams?" She asked him carefully, trying not to get too involved in a matter which was quite obviously of a private and personal nature.

Data sighed and moved his head on slow, slight, nodding movements. "Yes," he replied slowly and cautiously.

Lal tried to smile and put her hand on his arm, stretching quite a bit over the large, dull coloured square table. She tried to reassure him. "If you think I don't like you and McAdams being in a relationship, then, don't worry. I like her," Lal responded, trying to be helpful.

"It is not quite that," Data said simply, not really giving Lal enough clues as to why exactly he was acting the way he was.

She tried to smile. "What is it, then?" She asked. Then, she added quickly, "If you want to tell me."

"I am under the impression that you feel as though you are being replaced by Leena. That is not the case."

Lal smiled and let out a cautious and quiet laugh. "I don't think that, father," she said defiantly.

"So," Data began gingerly, "you do not feel… left out?"

"No, I don't. I assure you."

"Still," Data added, "I do not like the idea of you feeling somewhat isolated because of my wish to fulfil my… selfish needs."

"I've told you, father. I do not mind."

"I have been talking to counsellor Troi recently," Data told her, "I do not think it is wise to try and maintain a relationship with both you and Leena."

Seeing the concern on his face, Lal, once again, tried her best to reassure him to some extent "I am not… jealous of you and Leena McAdams. I am happy for you."

"I am not convinced," Data said bluntly and he stood up from his chair. He went over to where the small mirror was sat and carefully and swiftly placed it in a cupboard, out of the way. "Lal, it is almost 1500 hours. You have a calculus class to attend," he said, as nonchalantly as he could.

She sighed a sigh of exasperation and annoyance. "Father, listen to me. Don't do anything that you will regret."

Data turned around to face his daughter. He knew he couldn't actually feel, technically speaking. But, he had first-hand experience which definitely made it apparent to him that he was capable of feeling regret or at least something very similar to it. When, around five years ago, Tasha Yar had been killed cold-heartedly by the peculiar alien life form who went by the name of Armus, Data had a feeling of regret. He somewhat felt guilty that it was her who had died and not him. And, earlier on in his and Tasha's odd relationship, she had told him very clearly that their misguided rendezvous during the polywater intoxication 'never happened', he harboured no such regret. Nevertheless, he allowed those feelings to slip into some long lost subroutine and he said firmly to his daughter, "Lal, you will be late."

Sighing heavily, Lal stood up and walked past her father and through the sliding door.

Once she had gone, Data walked into his sleeping area of the quarters and sat on the bed. He didn't lie down, he just simply sat on the edge. He, being an android, was not tired and so he needed no need of rest or sleep or time to cool down. But, he needed time to be alone. He didn't want to be bothered at the moment, he just wanted to be by himself. He was contemplating his relationship with Leena McAdams. He wasn't sure whether or not continuing it was actually, in fact, the correct path to take. His last relationship, with lieutenant j.g. Jenna D'Sora lasted for at least a month, but it didn't really amount to much. There were no serious arrangements made. Other than that, his relationship with Leena had been the only real romantic relationship he had aver managed to successfully have. Of course, at the academy, years ago, he had made numerous attempts to try and get to know people better, specifically, those of the opposite gender but it had never really worked out properly. And, even then, that all happened at the persistence of his few bunkmates. He rarely initiated such a relationship with anyone.


	19. Regret

Ensign McAdams walked briskly down the corridor of the Enterprise. Data had called her via her combadge saying that he wished to speak to her at her earliest convenience. As she could tell from his strange tone of voice that he was nervous about something particular, she headed to his quarters as quickly as she found to be possible. After a few more moments of walking, she had reached her destination and stood steadily outside his quarters. She pressed the comm panel which was situated on the wall, next to the door of his quarters and said, "Data. You wanted to see me?"

Although she could not actually see it, Data nodded and the door promptly slid open with a slight but clearly audible hissing sound. Leena walked in, nervously and kissed him on the cheeks softly. The kiss had only lasted for no more than half a second, but, nonetheless, she could tell that something was wrong. Her face went a little paler than usual with worry and apprehension as she stared into his uncertain eyes. "Data? What is it?"

Five people, so far, had asked him if he was feeling all right that day. Data was beginning to get quite frustrated with the constant similar questions that were being put to him recently. However, he calmly replied to her, "I… need to talk to you."

She frowned and sniffed a little, before going to sit down on the large couch which was nearby. She patted the space next to her and Data, getting the message, sat down rather rigidly beside her. She put her hand on his arm and turned a little so that she was facing him slightly better. "Data? Talk to me," she said; her tone of voice portraying her subtle but still present desperation.

"I am not sure how to relay this information to you," he admitted, slowly and cautiously.

She took his pale hand and placed it between hers and said softly, "Data, please. Just tell me what it is."

Looking into her eyes, he could see the uncertainty and worry beginning to form. He could see the lines of worry starting to form on her beautiful face. He didn't want to see anymore. "I am not well versed in this topic, Leena. Please, try to understand."

"I'm trying, Data. But, you're not telling me anything," she said, her voice and face full of worry.

"I feel as though I have undertaken too great a task," he admitted as he slowly bowed his head, looking down at the floor. Then, he felt Leena put her hands on his head, forcing him to look at her.

She sniffed and said to him softly, "Data, please… just tell me what it is…"

"I am…" he broke off "… not sure how to proceed…" he broke off again.

"Proceed with what?" She asked as she stroked his hair gently. Suddenly, her face went very pale and her eyes became glazed over with tears. Her mouth started to tremble a little and her voice began to crack significantly. "Oh, no… you mean… proceed with… with us?..." As she spoke, her voice got quieter and quieter until Data could barely even distinguish it from the serene hum of the ship's powerful engines propelling them through deep space at maximum warp. She took her hands off of his face and put them down abruptly in her lap, still.

"Leena… I…" Data started to speak, but he wasn't sure how exactly he should continue. "I… did not mean to… It is not…" Remembering the physical contact she had just initiated with him, he took her hand carefully.

She cut him off, angrily and pulled her hand away. "No, I know what you're going to say. 'It's not you, it's me'," she said, crying.

"That is true, Leena. It is because of my other commitments that I… that I have to say this to you."

"What other commitments?" She demanded and she brought her hand up to her face, to wipe away the many tears which she could not seem to stop from cascading down her cheeks.

He sighed and then replied simply. "I have… other relationships to maintain. I am not able to maintain all of them successfully." If he were human, he definitely wouldn't have phrased his explanation exactly like that.

Leena misunderstood his words. "What? There's someone else?" She asked, the horror clearly visible on her face.

"No… Leena…" Data said, trying to rectify his mistake. "You misunderstand… I… I…"

She frowned and then wiped the more tears away again. "No, Data. You can't blame this on me!"

"I am not," the android said tentatively.

Gathering her thoughts, she managed to muster up to confidence to ask him, "Who is it, Data? How is it?"

"Who?" Data repeated, raising one synthetic eyebrow slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Who else is there, Data? Who's the other woman? Is it Jenna D'Sora?"

"No, Leena. I assure you, there is no one else. At least, not in that context."

"What other context is there?" She demanded. She was no longer crying anymore. She was just angry, not upset.

He replied, rather matter of fact, "I do have relationships which are not of the romantic kind."

"What… what do you mean, Data?" She asked, a little wearily.

"I was referring to Lal," he said simply and blatantly.

"What?" She announced. "Lal?"

"That is correct, Leena. I have been searching for some time, for a viable way for me to maintain a solid relationship with the both of you," he paused, stopping to think, before adding, "Can we still maintain a platonic relationship, Leena?"

She shook her head and stood up. "No, Data. I don't think we can. I don't think I can."

"Leena…" He began quietly. But, by the time he had said her name completely, she had already left his quarters.

It was quiet for quite some time, before Data became aware of someone else's presence in his personal quarters. He called out, nervously and wearily, "Is anyone there?"

It was Lal. She stepped forward and walked over to her father. He stood, alarmed and a little terrified at her unexplained presence. He frowned and then opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something, but then he closed it again. Quickly, he decided on what to say and asked his daughter, "Lal, what are you doing here?"

"I didn't feel like doing calculus, father," she replied quietly. She was a little ashamed of herself.

He carefully asked her, "How long have you been present?"

"Long enough," she responded quietly.

"Lal, you had no business in listening to other people's conversations. It was of a personal matter," Data told her, warningly.

"No, father," she said defiantly. "This whole thing is my problem. I started to this problem," she said, annoyed with herself and a little upset.

He walked forward, ever so slightly and said, "It is not, Lal. It is my fault. I chose to pursue my relationship with Leena, and I chose to reactivate you. Do not place the blame on yourself."

Taking his words into account, Lal reminded her father rather coldly, "I told you that I was fine with you and Leena's relationship. Why didn't you listen to me?"

"I… I do not know, Lal. I am but an android. I had no idea of how to maintain both a romantic and a platonic relationship at the same time. It is my fault."

"You deserve love, father," Lal reminded him. Seeing that she was obviously going to get no real response, she sighed and walked slowly towards her sleeping quarters. Just before she had gotten through the doorway, she heard her father ask her, "Where are you going?"

"To bed," she said quietly.

Data cocked his head to one side, confused by her answer and said, "Lal, you do not require sleep."

"I know," she replied, "but I can try."

Once again, Data found himself to be alone. He knew it was his choice, but he was already starting to wonder whether or not he had actually made the correct decision. He was thankful for the fact that he had a duty shift in a few hours. He could then concern himself with other matters and try to keep his mind preoccupied with many other things.


	20. Schemes

"Lal," the teacher's stern and warning voice rang out loudly throughout the spacious classroom. The woman waggled a defiant and dominant finger in her direction and frowned, causing her brow to wrinkle quite a lot.

She liked that teacher, but not today she didn't. Lal had never found herself to be in any trouble at school before, but today, she had been in trouble quite a considerable amount of times. It was her fourth lesson of the day and, during Biology, Philosophy, and Mathematics, she had been in trouble. The same thing had happened now, in Chemistry class. "Sorry," Lal replied quietly as she stared at her PADD, which lay untouched on the desk in front of her.

The teacher, satisfied with Lal's apology, carried on with her lesson. "So, can anyone tell me what an electron shell is?" She asked, scanning the bored faces of her pupils.

After at least a minute, no one made any attempt whatsoever at providing her with an answer. Then, a young Betazoid called Mikael put up his hand.

The teacher looked at Mikael and sighed. He had answered every single question put to the class so far. And, the teacher wanted someone else to answer. However, after a considerable amount of time, she realised that no one else was going to make an attempt at an answer, so she asked, "Yes, Mikael?"

"An electron shell is the orbit which an atom follows around an atom's nucleus," he answered smiling; he was obviously proud of himself.

The teacher nodded. "Yes, that is correct Mikale. Now, can anyone else tell me what the halogens are?" And, to her delight, another pupil put up their hand. It was a Vulcan called Stor. "Stor, do you know the answer?" She asked.

He nodded sternly and replied, "The halogens are a group in the periodic table consisting of five chemically related elements: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine."

"Very good," the teacher replied, her tone of voice somewhat patronizing. "But," she added, looking at the young Vulcan, "are you familiar with how the reactivity of the halogens corresponds to each individual's placing in the group?"

He nodded, replying, "Yes. The halogens are ordered so that the least reactive elements are situated at the top of the group, with the most reactive being at the bottom."

The teacher nodded and smiled, pleased with her pupil's response. Although, she was more or less expecting it to be correct due to the fact that he was a Vulcan. Well, I think you're all up to date with you atomic chemistry. So now, I'm going to set you some quiet, individual research tasks." She walked over to a cabinet and opened it. She took out a box full of textbooks and began to hand them out. "Right, class. Now, you are to record your answers to exercise fifteen on your PADDS." She then sat down in her chair and began to mark some of the work from her previous class.

The majority of the class got on with their work, but one pupil, a human named Meg, broke the silence. She asked Lal, who was sat next to her, "Do you know how to do question one?"

Lal had been so deep in thought at that moment that she didn't even register her friend's question at first. "Oh," she said abruptly, "Yes. You have to calculate the atomic weight of the elements."

The girl sighed wearily. "All of them?"

"No," Lal replied, "only for those in groups one, two and three."

"Ugh, and that makes it so much better, doesn't it?" Meg muttered. She turned on her PADD and then looked at Lal. "Are you ok?" She asked.

Lal sighed and then responded quietly, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, though," Meg pointed out.

"I've just got a lot on my mind, that's all," Lal replied as she began to answer some of the questions in the textbook.

"It won't hurt to talk about it, you know," the girl said.

"I've just got a lot going on," Lal said as she finished question one and began question two.

"You mean, with Data?" The girl cursed herself and then added quickly, "I mean, commander Data… I mean, your father?"

Lal made an attempt at a smile. "In a way, yes."

"What's wrong, then? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," she enquired politely.

"As I'm sure you know, as does the whole ship, he and ensign McAdams have… started a relationship."

Without thinking, Meg blurted out, "I know, it's really weird!" Instantly, she regretted it and apologized, "Sorry."

"Don't worry," Lal said, accepting her apology. She continued, "But, he has… ended their relationship."

"Oh, I see," Meg said, understandingly. "I guess he hasn't taken it well, then?"

"Neither of them have, I don't think. But, it is my fault that he chose to terminate their relationship in the first place."

"Why do you say that?" Meg asked her, puzzled by her statement.

"Father said that he felt as though he was neglecting me in some way," Lal said.

"Oh, well, I'm sure it will all soon blow over," Meg said, smiling at her friend.

Lal was not so convinced. "How can you be sure?"

"You can't really. I'm just going from past experience. I broke up with Mikael, not so long ago, and we're still quite good friends."

"Why did you and he not pursue your relationship?" Lal asked, curious.

"Well, he's a Betazoid, so he knows everything you feel. All the time. It wasn't really practical, I guess."

"I suppose not," Lal said, agreeably.

Just then, the teacher's voice became apparent, "Meg, Lal, quiet please." She then continued with her marking.

At the end of class, the teacher requested for Meg and Lal to stay behind because they were talking. She also asked the Vulcan boy, Stor, to stay behind because he was, rather surprisingly, talking too. Also to stay behind was the Betazoid named Mikael. The teacher turned to the Vulcan first. "Stor? Why were you talking in my lesson?"

"I was assisting Mikael on question seven," he replied honestly.

The teacher looked over at Mikael, who was obviously quite nervous. "Is this true?"

"Yes, miss," he said quickly. "I tried to work it out for myself, but I kept getting it wrong. So, I saw that Stor was quite far ahead and I asked him to help me."

"You should've asked me if you were unsure, Mikael," the teacher reminded him.

"I know," he said tiredly and regrettably, "but I didn't want to disturb you."

The teacher nodded and then focused her attention on the two girls. "Lal?" She asked, "What were you and Meg talking about that was apparently more interesting than chemistry?"

"Sorry, miss," Lal replied. "I didn't mean to be rude. It's just been difficult, that's all."

Raising an eyebrow, the teacher cast her gaze over to Meg. The girl nodded and said quietly, "Sorry, it won't happen again."

"Very well," the teacher said, sighing. "You may leave now. Class has ended."

The four pupils sighed a sigh of relief. School was over for the day. On their way out of the classroom, Meg said to Stor and Mikael, "Are you two busy?"

Mikael shook his head and smiled. But, the Vulcan on the other hand said firmly, "I have studies to do."

"So," Meg said, "you're not busy, then?"

The Vulcan opened his mouth, as if to object to her ruling, but saw no point and closed his mouth.

"Why did you ask?" Said Mikael.

Meg smiled and replied, "Ok, so, you've heard about Data and McAdams, right?"

They nodded, rather wearily. "Yes," they said at the same time. Mikael looked at the Vulcan and raised an eyebrow, thinking it was a little weird.

"Well," she continued, "Lal says they've broken up and she wants to get them back together."

"And what is it that you should like us to do?" Stor asked, fed up slightly.

"I want you two to help me get them back together."

"Shouldn't we ask Lal?" Mikael enquired as he looked at his android classmate standing beside Meg, with an alarmed and confused expression on her face.

Meg sighed and looked at Lal. "Well, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, frowning.

Meg smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

"If you really think so," Lal said nervously.

"Well, it's settled then."

Lal, Stor and Mikael each exchanged a series of rather perplexed and unconvinced looks, but Meg was all too busy to notice it even happening.


	21. Problems

Captain Picard was reading his favourite book when the interruption came. He was so very engrossed in the final, gripping chapters of Moby Dick that he barely even registered the fact that someone was stood outside his ready room. He uttered the command, "Come", and saw lieutenant commander Data walk in to the room.

"Ah, Mr Data," Picard said loudly, "I've been wanting to speak to you."

The android raised an eyebrow. He was obviously confused as to why the captain had asked for him to come to his ready room that day. "Sir?" He ventured nervously.

"Sit down," Picard told him and Data did so. "I presume you know why I wanted to speak with you," Picard stated. He placed his bookmark carefully into the book, shut it with a loud banging sound and then pushed it into a draw in the desk.

"No, sir, I do not," Data said quietly and calmly. He could not think of why the captain would want to see him. He hadn't done anything wrong that could earn him some sort of punishment and he hadn't done anything so exceptional that it should warrant a kind of reward or prize. He tried not to think about it too much, but he couldn't stop himself from doing so.

Picard formed a steeple with his fingers as he leant his elbows on the desk. "I am aware that, recently, and for quite a number of times, ensign McAdams has asked for the times and locations of her duty shifts to be altered."

Data considered what his commanding officer had just said and stared at him blankly, saying, "Sir, I do not see how this affects me."

"She was trying to avoid having to have a shift with you," Picard said bluntly as he scanned his android crewmember's strange expression.

"Why would she do that?" Data asked, confused by the captain's statement.

Picard tried to attempt a smile. "I am sure you know why, Mr Data," he said.

Data nodded. He did know why, he just didn't really want to have to admit it. "I am sorry, sir, if it has caused you any inconvenience," Data said quietly.

"Apology accepted, Mr Data," Picard replied.

"Have you not spoken to ensign McAdams about this matter?" Data asked inquisitively.

Picard nodded and sighed. "I have indeed. But, I think we should both agree that you and she need to come to some sort of mutual agreement. I understand that it can't be very easy, as you both live and work here, but it is getting in the way of duties. It is becoming a little ridiculous."

"I understand, sir," Data said softly and a little confusedly.

"Good," Picard decided, "Dismissed."

The android nodded and then left the captain's ready room. Once he was gone, Picard opened the draw and continued to read on with his novel. Every page, every sentence and indeed every wood reminded him of why this was his favourite book.


	22. Success

Lal braced herself for what she might find when she entered her and her father's quarters. He had never had to experience something quite like his break-up with Leena McAdams, so Lal ahd no idea of what he might actually do. Luckily and thankfully, nothing was the matter and Lal walked through the door way after waiting for the door to slide open.

"Father?" She asked as she entered the room.

Data was sat at his computer station, reading up about the Enterprise's state of the art and much envied warp core. He looked up and said, "Yes, Lal?"

"I…um…" she stopped dead in her tracks, thinking of something to say. She and Meg, Stor and Mikael had engineered quite a good plan about how they could achieve the seemingly great feat of getting Data and Leena back together. So, she did something which she had never done before. She told a lie. "I… I…"

"Lal?" Data asked, nervously. Why was she taking so long to say something? For a horrifying moment, Data wondered if there might actually be some sort of a problem with her positronic net, but his fears were quickly and thankfully out to rest when Lal managed to think of something to say.

Lal continued to talk, "I've left something in holodeck four, could you get it for me?"

"What did you leave?" Data asked, puzzled and a little unconvinced with his daughter's story.

"I left a… um… I left a… hat…" she said nervously.

"A hat?" Data repeated, a little sceptical.

She nodded defiantly and replied quickly, "Yes, one of my friends gave it me and we were in the holodeck and I accidently left it there…"

Knowing that he had no major duties to attend to, Data nodded and agreed to help his daughter and leave the quarters, in search of Lal's apparent missing garment.

All Lal could do know was to hope that her friends were doing the right thing.

At the same time, Meg, Stor and Mikael were making their way down the corridor of deck eleven of the starship Enterprise. Just as they had hoped, ensign Leena McAdams walked out of sickbay, after a regular health check. Meg told Stor and Mikael to go off somewhere and she, herself, walked over to Leena.

"I'm Lal's best friend, Meg," she introduced herself. "I'm sorry about you and commander Data."

Leena tried to smile. She had decided to forget about her and Data. They had broken up a week ago and she had decided to move on. "Thank you," she said to Meg.

"You're welcome," Meg said, smiling kindly. "And, by the way, if you want to relax or something, I've found this really relaxing holodeck programme based on Risa's beaches."

"Thanks," Leena said, "maybe I'll check it out."

"Uh… my friends have… booked it for the entire week, so I would go as soon as possible."

Leena replied to her, "Okay, it sounds like fun." She was just about to leave when she heard Meg call out to her, "It's in holodeck…" she forgot which one for a moment "…four."

Leena thought to herself and, knowing her shifts for that day had ended, headed in the direction of holodeck four. Once the ensign had left, Mikael and Stor re-emerged from around the corner and Meg held up her hand to high-five Mikael, who agreed. Stor, though, just stood there and offered a handshake to Meg, who returned it and smiled.

In holodeck four, Data couldn't see any sign of a hat. He had checked every single corner and side, but he couldn't see anything that resembled a hat, or, any other type of clothing at all. He was about to leave when he heard the holodeck doors slid open and he turned around to see who it was. To his surprise and slight apprehension, he saw that it was Leena.

She entered the holodeck and caught sight of Data, who bore a rather puzzled look on his face. "Data? What are you doing here?" She asked nervously and loudly.

"I came to…" he rephrased his explanation. "I was looking for a hat."

"A hat?" Leena repeated surprised and confused by what he had just said to her. "That's got to be the worst excuse ever. A hat? Seriously, Data."

"I am being truthful, Leena. My daughter said she left her hat her, and I am looking for it," Data replied honestly. "Why are you here?" He asked her, unsure whether he was right to or not.

She sighed and walked over to him, gingerly and slowly. "One of Lal's friends said that there was a programme in this holodeck which could help take my mind off things."

"This is strange," Data pondered out loud.

Leena raised an eyebrow, then frowned. "What do you mean?"

"That both of us should arrive here at exactly the same moment in time."

"Do you mean to say that I set this up?" Leena asked, slightly angrily.

He shook his head firmly. "No, I think someone else has. The most likely people to do such a thing are Lal and her friends."

Leena couldn't help but smile and let out a brief chuckle. Data knitted his brows, confused by her unconventional reaction. "Why are you laughing?" He asked as he stepped a little closer to her.

"No reason, really. I just think its sweet, for them to do that," Leena replied as calmly as possible.

"Leena?" Data said in his polite tone of voice.

She frowned, nervous and unsure, before replying, "Yes?"

"Taking all of this I account, I understand that there must be a reason for Lal and her friends to engineer a feat such as this."

Leena didn't see his point and stared at him, blankly. "What are you saying?"

"I am saying that, maybe Lal was right. Maybe I did not take into account that she may have been completely at ease with our relationship," Data said. "I am… confused," he admitted, looking around the holodeck in the hope that it might offer him some respite for his confusion.

"I may have… overreacted," Leena acknowledged. She brushed a stray strand of dark brown hair away from her face.

Data disagreed with her words, saying, "I understand why you acted the way in which you did."

"Do you?" She asked as she tentatively took a step closer towards him.

He nodded firmly, "I do, yes." He then added, "I am sorry for the way I acted."

"You don't need to be sorry, Data," she said as she looked up into his bright, amber coloured eyes.

"Nevertheless, I do apologize," he said defiantly.

She managed a smile, one which she meant truly. "Apology accepted."

Looking at her, Data didn't really know what he was to do. He stood there for a while, scanning her facial expression and bodily movements for some clue as to what he should do now, but he found no clues. "Would you like to come back to my quarters?" He decided upon asking her.

She frowned, a little confused by his off suggestion. "What for?"

"To talk?" Data's statement morphed into more of a question. He was hoping that the answer would be yes, and it was.

Smiling, Leena nodded.


	23. Reunion

In her and her father's quarters, Lal was sat nervously. Meg had contacted her via commlink to tell her that Leena was, in fact, going to holodeck four and Lal had told her that she had fulfilled her part of the bargain too. Soon, the door slid open and Lal expected Data to walk in with his usual serene facial expression. However, when she turned her head to face the entrance, Lal saw that, although Data's expression was much the same as it usually way, he was followed closely by ensign McAdams. Lal smiled, relieved. Once they had entered, she stood up abruptly, saying, "I was just leaving."

"Don't leave on my account," Leena said apologetically. "I don't mind, really."

Lal smiled, "No, I've got some homework to do and Meg and I were going to do it together. It's chemistry, so I'd better get going."

"Lal, I could assist you with chemistry," Data stepped in.

Lal looked at her father, giving him an expression which subliminally told him to be quiet and Lal left, carrying her chemistry homework with her, just to keep up the pretension.

Once they were alone, Data asked Leena cautiously, "Is our relationship… terminated?"

"That depends," Leena said, trying to avoid answering him properly.

"I do not understand, Leena. Do you wish to proceed with our relationship?"

She didn't reply, but stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him on the lips gently. "I don't know why, Data, but I love you."

Data stood there, blankly and kissed her in return. Leena went to go and sit down on the couch, which was nearby. Data didn't need to be prompted and he sat down beside her. "Does this mean you do wish to continue with our relationship?" He asked, unsure.

"Yes, Data, it does," Leena replied as she placed her slender hands on either side of his pale golden face, kissed him and then leant her head on his shoulder. She looked out of the broad window at the dusky blanket that was the night sky. The millions of little stars were like tiny torches brightening up such a dark and empty place.


	24. Nothing

p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Lal smiled at her friends, who were waiting eagerly in the recreation room. "Thank you," she said gratefully to them./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Meg frowned and asked, "What for?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""My father and ensign McAdams are back together," Lal explained./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Meg grinned and jabbed Mikael with her elbow. "See? Told you it would work!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Mikael rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, sure," he muttered. "Hey, Meg?" He asked./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Meg looked at him, "Uhuh?" She asked him./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Do you think, you and I could...?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Meg raised her finger. "No, Mikael. Frankly, Stor has a better chance."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The teenaged Vulcan glanced up and said, "Sorry?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Nothing," Meg replied, grinning./p 


End file.
